Bill to keep kids toxic free

HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) -- Protecting your children from dangerous chemicals; that's the goal of a new bill that's now in front of the General Assembly.

Young Jack wants to stay toxic free, but it's not easy today for kids, or parents.

"I pretty much poisoned my kids on a daily basis, not just with what I fed them, even though I was trying to feed them healthy things, but with their car seat and their baby pad," said Rep. Kim Fawcett.

That's because there are so many chemicals around kids today. Connecticut already banned BPA in containers for baby formula, but that is just the beginning of the list of potentially dangerous substances.

"One choryphylphenopl, one polysorbonegathin. What are these? They are fire retardants that are in all sorts of children's products, products of the children you see here," said Sen. Diana Urban.

There are several bills going through the legislature right now designed to reduce, or at least inform about, levels of some of those chemicals. Proponents say the reason is simple; cancer, autism, learning and reproductive disorders are all on the rise.

"And it is the consensus among health care professionals that chemicals in our environment is the cause of so many of these diseases," said Anne Hulick, Coalition for a Safe & Healthy Connecticut.

Most of the bills we're talking about don't outright ban any chemicals. One has the state making a list of some chemicals. Another forces manufacturers to put labels on their products if they contain certain things. It's less about banning stuff than it is about making sure you know if the things you buy have any of these substances.