
Pizzulli provides sponsor testimony on PURE LIFE Act
COLUMBUS — State Representatives Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County) and Monica Robb Blasdel (R-Columbiana) this week provided sponsor testimony before the House General Government Committee on the Protecting Utility and Resources for Enhanced Living, Improved Food, and Environment Act, also known as the PURE LIFE Act.
House Bill 272 will ban a targeted list of harmful food additives, restrict PFAS –commonly known as 'forever chemicals' – in consumer products, restore local control over water fluorination by repealing a current state-level mandate and prohibit cloud seeding.
'By aligning with successful policies from across the nation, this legislation promotes transparency, prioritizes public health and restores local decision-making authority,' said Pizzulli during sponsor testimony.
'We aren't asking for perfection; we're asking for transparency, for common-sense limits and for a future where our kids aren't part of a chemical experiment,' said Blasdel. 'This legislation will foster a healthier future and create conditions where Ohio children can thrive.'
House Bill 272 awaits further consideration from the House General Government Committee.
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They also also toxic, even in small quantities. They have been used in manufacturing and consumer products since the 1940s. 'We've used them so extensively, really since the 1940s they found our way in so many different consumer products," Sims explains. "For example, in your waterproof coat, anything waterproofing, school children's clothing, anything stain resistant. PFAs have some desirable properties, and are so good at what they do in terms of that heat resistance, that water and oil resistance, stain resistance, durability, often a lot of the things that makes it very useful in products. 'Because they're so persistent, they obviously found their way into the environment, into our food, into our water. They are also used in jet engines, medical devices, refrigeration systems, the construction industry and electrical devices. In the environment, they can last for extremely long periods: hundreds or even thousands of years. They also accumulate in human bodies. 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Natalie Sims, from the Royal Society of Chemistry, told Yahoo News: 'There is more that could be being done, and that is why we are calling for action.' The Royal Society of Chemistry has mapped levels of the chemicals in Britain's drinking waters, and is calling for the public to take action to raise the issue. 'The public can be really powerful, and I think we have seen that when we look at tackling sewage overflows, that's really been pushed up the government agenda, because the public is also pushing for it," Sims says. 'That's why we really want to take action now, and that's why there's been much more push for it from organisations like ourselves or others. In addition to developing alternative materials, we urgently need stronger, more robust controls to prevent further pollution and reduce our exposure to harmful substances in the environment.' PFAs are a group of thousands of chemicals that don't occur in nature and are extremely hard to get rid of. They also also toxic, even in small quantities. They have been used in manufacturing and consumer products since the 1940s. 'We've used them so extensively, really since the 1940s they found our way in so many different consumer products," Sims explains. "For example, in your waterproof coat, anything waterproofing, school children's clothing, anything stain resistant. PFAs have some desirable properties, and are so good at what they do in terms of that heat resistance, that water and oil resistance, stain resistance, durability, often a lot of the things that makes it very useful in products. 'Because they're so persistent, they obviously found their way into the environment, into our food, into our water. They are also used in jet engines, medical devices, refrigeration systems, the construction industry and electrical devices. In the environment, they can last for extremely long periods: hundreds or even thousands of years. They also accumulate in human bodies. 'Forever chemicals' have been phased out of some consumer products - but are still used in products such as non-stick frying pans and some packaging, although manufacturers tend to be reluctant to say exactly where they are used. The dangers attached to PFAs often comes when they are used industrially, or when products containing PFAs are disposed of inadequately, meaning they enter the water supply. In the UK, PFAs are most likely to be found in water near industrial sites including airports and areas that produce products which use PFAs. The Royal Society of Chemistry warns that contamination is likely near landfill sites where liquid contaminated with PFAs can leak out of the site, or near incinerators which often are not hot enough to fully burn PFAs. The chemicals can also be found near where firefighting foam is routinely used, including airports, military sites and fire-training areas. 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Business Wire
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