LANSING – State Representatives Dian Slavens
(D-Canton) and Marc Corriveau
(D-Northville) are inviting residents to join them this Monday, Nov. 9, in Canton for
a town hall meeting on toxic toys for parents and grandparents to learn how to protect children from harmful chemicals.
The event also will feature free testing of toys and other children's products.
"As a mother and a grandmother, I know that our children are too precious to be left in harm's way of these hazardous chemicals," said Slavens, a respiratory therapist for more than 20 years at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak and Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. "Prolonged exposure to toys containing chemicals like lead, mercury and arsenic can greatly hurt our children's health and development. That's why I encourage folks to take advantage of this free testing to make sure that the toys your kids are playing with are safe."
The meeting will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Canton Public Library, 1200 S. Canton Center Road.
The lawmakers will be joined by representatives from the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center who will perform free testing on toys and other children's products using XRF technology, a portable device designed to test for heavy metals and other toxic substances. Slavens and Corriveau also will discuss legislation that passed the House earlier this year that will protect children from toxic chemicals by requiring manufacturers to report what chemicals they use in the production of toys and other children's products sold in Michigan.
"Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our children," said Corriveau, Chair of the House Health Policy Committee. "I'm the father of two young children, and it is frightening to think that the toys we buy our kids could be harmful to them. This event is a great opportunity for parents and grandparents to help protect their kids from dangerous chemicals by getting their toys tested for free."