The New York State Interagency Committee on Procurement voted on December 29, 2010 to approve a guidance policy requiring all NYS agencies to consider avoiding 85 toxic chemicals in products, services and technologies purchased by the state. Relying on federal priority lists, the list includes known and probable human carcinogens, persistent bio-accumulative toxins (PBT’s), PBDE flame retardants, PFOA (teflon-related chemicals) and Bisphenol A (BPA). To view the list of toxic chemicals and products in which they are found, go to the Office of General Services website: http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/EO/4/docs/ExhF.pdf. This is the most comprehensive chemical avoidance purchasing list in the country and it will have a major impact on greening the marketplace with New York’s annual buying power of $9 billion.
“This is a win for public health since the targeted toxic 85 chemicals will now be on the radar screen of New York State’s purchasing agents. This policy has the potential to substantially reduce the public’s exposure to several carcinogens which are currently released into our environment through common consumer products”, said Laura Weinberg, president of the Great Neck Breast Cancer Coalition and an alternate member of the Governor’s Green Purchasing Advisory Council.
Patti Wood, Executive Director of Grassroots Environmental Education and member of the EO 4 Green Purchasing Advisory Council, says “ New York is taking the lead with this groundbreaking policy to begin looking at keeping toxins out of the environment that present the greatest risk to people and the environment. All members of the Interagency Committee working on this issue should be congratulated for taking this important precautionary step.”
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“Since 1971 we have spent more than 1 trillion dollars on cancer research and treatment. New York State has taken a definitive step to address the links between epidemic cancer rates and the many toxic chemicals our families are exposed to every day.” said Advisory Council member, Karen Joy Miller, Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition, Inc.
