The Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut used this 25-foot-tall inflatable yellow duck to prove there are safe alternatives to toxic chemicals in children’s toys.
Sarah Uhl of Clean Water Action said “hormone disrupters are commonly added to plastics.” However, “when we have safer alternatives we don’t need to be using toxic ones anymore,” she said holding up one set of baby bottles with Bisphenol-A and one set without.
The coalition, a group of 30 organizations, is pushing the legislature to pass this bill that would phase out the sale of toys containing Lead, Phthalates, and Bisphenol-A.
State Rep. David McCluskey, D-West Hartford, said “This is not an onerous bill.” He said it just gives Connecticut the same right to safe toys that European countries enjoy. State Rep. Russ Morin, D-Wethersfield, said, “It’s quite simple. We should be protecting our kids.”
The group closed out the Wednesday morning press conference with their own version of Sesame Street’s Rubber Ducky You’re the One lyrics.
“I love to put you in my mouth/That’s when your chemicals leach out/Rubber ducky how could you do this to me?/Woo woo be doo.”
The 25-foot-tall duck will make an appearance on the Milford Green on March 22 at noon. The duck was donated by the Center for Health, Environment and Justice and made a recent appearance in Washington state where its legislature passed a similar bill to phase out toxics in toys this past Friday.
