Physicians for Social Responsibility’s 2nd Annual Toxies
You’re invited to join us at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood on June 16th to make some noise for bad actor chemicals at the 2nd Annual Toxies! This year’s bad actor chemical nominees are being announced at www.toxies.com. RSVP for the 2011 Toxies right now. If you’re not in LA, you can sign up to host a satellite viewing party. As physicians and health advocates, we’re working to make sure these materials are easy to use with your colleagues and patients. Read more about this fun and informative project and get involved!
june 16, 2011
4pm PDT: red carpet | 5pm: awards ceremony | 6pm-8pm: afterparty
what are the toxies?
“The Toxies” is a satirical awards ceremony highlighting “bad actor chemicals.” This 2nd annual event, created by the statewide coalition Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE) and led by Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles (PSR-LA), has now come together with groups across the country to share the concept of “bad actor chemicals” by bringing them to life with a Hollywood spin. See highlights from 2010 and read all about our partner groups, the Toxies Host Committee. The Toxies educates the public on the hazards of specific chemicals – referred to by scientists for years as “bad actors” – and demonstrates how we can pull together as neighborhoods, workers, businesses and consumers to eliminate them from our lives. While the award categories may sound similar, these bad actor chemicals are dangerous, ubiquitous, and have nefarious careers. The more we know about them, the more we can adopt programs that push them into immediate retirement and inspire green innovation to protect our health and environment for future generations.
why “bad actors”?
Everyone knows a bad actor when they see one. No matter how hard they try, bad actors are disruptive, distracting, and cause damage whenever they’re involved. This is easy-to-understand concept has been used by scientists for years to describe chemicals that always behave poorly. These “bad actor chemicals” have intrinsic hazard traits and should be eliminated and replaced with safer alternatives as soon as possible. Every week, we see another study linking chemicals in our homes, schools, and workplaces to cancer, infertility, autism and developmental disorders, and more. Childhood cancers have increased 20% since 1975, and autism now is so prevalent that it is diagnosed in one out of every 110 children. The U.S. chemical regulatory system is broken and fails to protect people, wildlife and the environment from toxic chemical exposures. Taking a page from the tobacco industry’s playbook, the chemical industry attempts to cast doubt on the legitimate, peer-reviewed research that indicts toxic chemicals, and then pressures the government so that no effective action is taken.
It’s up to the public to fight back, and sharing the news about these bad actor chemicals through projects like The Toxies can really help. “Innocent until proven guilty” is okay in the criminal justice system, but not okay when it comes to chemicals that can really harm us.
