There are approximately 80,000 chemicals at play in some form or another in the marketplace today. How much do we know about the effects that these chemicals have on our health? They’re technically supposed to be regulated under the Toxic Substance Control Act, which was passed in 1976. But a policy statement out today by the American Academy of Pediatrics is arguing that the act is ineffective in protecting children and pregnant women from lots of toxic chemicals in our daily environment. How do we avoid negative effects? McKay Jenkins is the author of “What’s Gotten into Us? Staying Healthy in a Toxic World.” He says the responsibility lies in our political and economic will to make more informed choices from how we regulate chemicals to the choices we make regarding our consumer purchases.
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