Safer Alternatives bill faces hearing at State House

LYNN – With the entire Lynn delegation in support, the Safer Alternatives bill faces a Nov. 2 public hearing before the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture.”For months we’ve been waiting for the Legislature to take the next step towards passing the Safer Alternatives Bill. It has finally arrived,” said Elizabeth Saunders, spokeswoman for the environmental advocacy coalition For the Healthy Tomorrow.Saunders said the group is organizing panels of experts to testify in support of the bill since industry representatives are expected to make a case against it.The proposed legislation would create a program to replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives wherever possible in Massachusetts. Specifically, it would help advocates look for ways to protect workers and children by phasing out toxic chemicals in consumer products, workplaces and other places where vulnerable people are exposed.Sen. Thomas McGee and Reps. Robert Fennell, Steve Walsh, Mark Falzone and Lori Ehrlich are signed on as co-sponsors of the legislation.Also before the joint committee is a bill filed by McGee to designate the walking path along Lynn Shore Drive and at Red Rock Park as the Sen. Walter J. Boverini Scenic Walkway.Two other measures, sponsored by Falzone, would prohibit the additional incineration of solid waste and make the producers of lamps containing mercury responsible for their disposal. Additional legislation proposed by Walsh would regulate the disposal of prescription medication and hunting or trapping on private land. Ehrlich is sponsoring a bill to reduce the use of plastic bags.The Safer Alternatives bill expands the successful Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) program, which protects the public health and saves businesses money by reducing use of toxic chemicals. It targets 10 of the most dangerous toxic chemicals in wide use in Massachusetts that can be replaced with “feasible safer alternatives.” Businesses would receive technical and financial assistance when attempting to replace these chemicals with safer ones.The 10 chemicals on the top-priority list include lead, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene (TCE), perchloroethylene (Perc), dioxins and furans, and various ethers and pesticides.