For the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of co-chairing a public/private partnership called the Success By Six Leadership Commission. As a part of the Washtenaw United Way Great Start collaborative, the Leadership Commission’s objective is to improve access and quality of county resources to allow an opportunity for every child to enter the first grade ready to learn. Examples of specific areas of focus include prenatal care, early language and literacy development, quality child care/early education, and health/dental care. All of these are important parts of the learning readiness formula, but I want to focus here on an environmental factor relative to the health of our children.

On Dec. 6, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Salem-South Lyon Library, 9800 Pontiac Trail South Lyon, the Healthy Michigan, Healthy Kids coalition is sponsoring an event to test toys for toxic chemicals. I am encouraging all in our area to take advantage of this free opportunity prior to giving a toy gift to a child. I hasten to point out that the motivation here is not to alarm, but to emphasize that when it comes to our children, we should exercise responsible caution. Having our children healthy is critical if they are to enter first grade ready to learn.

The health of our children is also a concern from a public policy prospective. According to a recent report titled The Price of Pollution: Cost Estimates of Environment-Related Childhood Disease in Michigan, the indirect and direct costs of environmentally attributable diseases in Michigan including lead poisoning, asthma, pediatric cancer, and neurodevelopment disorders amount to $5.85 billion annually. I believe that Michigan can do a better job of protecting our children from exposure to toxic chemicals. Accordingly, as the next state representative for House District 54, I will be committed to three basic tenets relative to the health of our children: • Provide consumers with a right to know about the presence of the most hazardous chemicals in children’s products sold in Michigan. • Phase out the most dangerous chemicals that have safer, affordable alternatives. • Foster Michigan-based job growth by providing incentives for green chemistry and safe product development. Children in Washington, Connecticut, Massachusetts, California, and Maine are already protected by state legislation very similar to these principles. Minimally, Michigan’s children deserve this level of protection from hazardous chemicals. The gift of a child is too precious for us to be carelessly unconcerned about the hazardous chemicals that may be hiding in the toy gifts we give them during this holiday season. David E. Rutledge, Ypsilanti, is the representative elect for Michigan House District 54.