Susan Meek
Vice-President of Licensing & Communications
Hedstrom Corporation
3436 North Kennicott
Arlington Heights, IL 60004
Dear Susan,
I am writing to thank you for Hedstroms laudable step of discontinuing use of arsenic (CCA) pressure treated wood in childrens playsets. Clearly, this is a beneficial action that will help in protecting children from the risks of exposure to arsenic, a human carcinogen, at unsafe levels. It is also a step of industry leadership.
Given the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissions recent announcement that children could face increased cancer risk from using arsenic-treated wooden playsets, and EWGs ongoing research which finds older arsenic-treated wood structures continue to leach arsenic and expose children for many years, American consumers are now informed enough to seek the readily available, safer alternatives.
At EWG, our tagline is The Power of Information. We appreciate Hedstroms efforts to inform in your press release by listing safety precautions parents can take to minimize their childrens exposure to CCA from existing wooden structures.
We will continue our work on this important consumer issue, and we look forward to working in cooperation with Hedstrom in the future.
Sincerely,
[signed]
Ken Cook, president of Environmental Working Group