c
i
please welcome back to the program good to be here are you tom high m
great great to have you with us
and uh... the republican party guys have understood in have
on earth a bunch of thinking is just like every day i get this thing and
email it's like wow we're not well i can't believe it
and everybody report dot org deepa commute but
and then they can sign up for the email newsletter but the thing that really
blew my mind was that
these
carson these carcinogenic substances or allegedly carcinogenic or whatever you
correct me on this
the if that this whole flame retardant thing that congress that members of
congress are actually willing to poison themselves for money life just as a
bottom line
onto a city anything spine untuk here but for now i'm not going to come you
know you usually when you hear about congress
of legislating on environmental issues at least this congress
uh... allowing toxic dumps solar you know
uh... there still isn't other places you know
right and the middle east where america for poor poor african-american
communities down south in cancer alley for example exactly uh... plays with
that
art actually affecting the congressmen themselves
but here's other unique example of congressman uh... requesting personal
jacob chemicals for their own buildings
at issue here is a pitched lobbying battle
uh... between
uh... the makers of toxic flame retardant which actually include exxon
mobil because they make the chemical ingredient uh... for these uh...
materials that are used in billings
and their new lead what's called a cold lead standard
going to be implemented
in new
federal buildings
and for construction in
existing federal buildings
and bill obvious
if i may interrupt for just a mostly people without a leed standard is itself
dvd can you tell us what that is
it's uh...
special uh... dedication of the building can have
i'd showing that it that environmentally safe
air quality is good and bears
uh... energy efficiency standards
expect with just a a standard uh... to move america forward and in terms of
uh... new construction material okay so so values congressional buildings are
off
to get this lead certification hand
and computer to do it that person work in
uh... but because
lobbyist from the american chemistry council which represent
the makers of the cockpit flame retardant
uh... they ask congress to fight leave standard and their own buildings
and it wasn't just one or two congressmen saying okay war will fight
these new standard
those fifty five
uh... members of congress signed a letter
uh... demanding
uh... that the federal government do not implement
uh... these new standard even in their own
and and these chemicals are just going to cancer uh... they're going to
infertility
uh... there'll went to a uh... various uh... sexual problems
it's actually pretty astounding that are they look how they linked to brain
disorders because this ok explain thumping yeah for simpson back story on
that which i really fong and with a reporter for republican port dot or you
can read all this over there
meyer standing lien and correct me if i'm wrong on this is that
the reason that we started getting flame retardant sin our carpet seminar sofas
sonar in our baby clothes for that matter
was because back in the fifties or sixties or maybe seventies but he was
earlier in that that
there was a push by the ralph nader types
for the tobacco industry to stop putting the chemical in cigarettes the keeps
them burning when they're not being sucked down are not normally tobacco
goes out on its own if you don't keep
toh kanade
and the and slick m_i_t_ tobacco companies add this this
chemical to the cigarettes so that they continuously burn
and
that'd be a lot of peoples
homes are catching on fire their furniture is cash and fire people fall
sleep a cigarette or here whatever and and uh... and so
to end of this problem there was propose that the cigarettes be made uh... auto
extinguishing these tobacco company who want to do that but there was so much
publicity about the problem of that cigarettes catching houses on fire that
they basically invented this
solution to the problem which was
all wil let's just make blesses dallas everything in flame retardant chemicals
rather than making cigarettes safe to have their activity actually have
pretty acerca i would japanese your audience take a look at chicago
tribune investigation of this investment
above these chemicals but look at the multi-year effort
uh... to develop them the wide use even in our cell phones and and and and
children's toys and then the overlapping effort uh... by these companies
to suppress defiance they show that these chemicals are
not stated on the darling to all types of different health problems so
so that the only reason we have all these fine returns and these are among
the
you know and bill moyers famously had his blood tested nick came back alive as
i recall a hundred and ten different carcinogens in his blood
a number of them were fireflame richards
and it's because you know you said on the couch you inhale the dust from that
from the from the carpet you know
it's it's just it's like these things have since the what we do know the
decade was at the sixties the seventies the financially so quick allies i think
was i thought i was a sixties to the but in any case of the since that period
time he'll were basically saturated with this stuff and that it was the tobacco
industry the brought this to us
and now
way it's taken on a life of its ongoing they're right because that's become an
industry
found everywhere are not japan uh...
inside building materials have been injured
everyday products and that you weren't even imagine i'm n_p_r_ also had a great
story are showing that uh... breast milk uh... you test average breast milk in
america defiant are dozens of these chemical now that the other thing that i
understand is that
nobody's life is ever been saved by flame retardant snow it's a pretty
outrageous statement to make but is there any truth to that
or one of the uh... when we're trying to please
proposed in my story here
uh... thang
artfully too
uh... reducing any fire threat under very little evidence but they do so you
get a look at the deep a reason why these congressmen are standing up in
demanding these
uh... personages be using their billing when it comes back to money in politics
these chemical companies
are huge campaign contributors
after the citizens united decision are chemical companies were on the first
people obviously
and start using direct corporate cash and our elections american chemistry
council which made it action alert asking these congressmen ought to take
action papa and prevent people eat standards out was one of the first two
right had and the two thousand how actions again with direct corporate cash
amazing were
earth the eason fifty six members of congress have petitioned
the uh...
who who oversees the buildings is there a services in the general services
administration yet to to uh... please give them their flame returns
that are all of these people of one political party resist scattered
throughout both parties
you know we've been calling around we don't actually have a copy of the letter
of the federal crimes has a copy
and they couldn't it's uh... are led by congressman
uh... might popiel
from ten to two famous with represent
uh... wichita is
been deemed a congressman from coke isaac of brothers to the congressman
that her repeatedly so favorable to their agenda is actually a personal
friend of charles book the people eating up effort
and uh... article brothers
flame retardant
a quick question you note
coke industries the company owned by the pope reddick
is massively make i've dozens of different levels but because their
private company we have
i'm very little information they make
dioxin and and many other things that cause cancer but i i i can give you a
clear answer for this one is there a use for taxes
uh... they pay their that you can and or oil refining so
that's why they present
at stuff is really really nasty
obsolete in the minute we have left here
what should we do about this
while governor highlighting uh...
reporting from the federal times but
you know if this is a at tiny little newspaper in washington d_c_ that
normally has
little-noticed and the rest of the country that the best
uh... folks to do right now is
uh... inform themselves and right and communicator depression if you find out
that your member of congress
all with this
part of this letter is an effort to request
carcinogens unfair office buildings
asked them why and that you know i would ask that uh... folks
become citizen journalist and take themselves asking their passion
and when they get that response put online and the end of the world
if nothing else this really demonstrates an ink fifty six members of congress
willing to poison themselves and their families in order to campaign
contributions in the chemical industry or really demonstrates
that we need a roll-back citizens natalie constitutional amendment but a
move to a man dot org and do something about that leaf on whether public report
dot org one of the brilliant investigative reporting sites if you if
you're not a regular visitor to the public record dot org
he needed to come wanting thanks so much for being with us and africa committee
as always
uh... the one of the great investigators borders in this country