BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 460
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 460 (Pavley)
As Amended August 19, 2013
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE :39-0
HEALTH 18-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Pan, Ammiano, Atkins, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Bonilla, Bonta, Chesbro, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Gomez, | |Calderon, Campos, |
| |Roger Hern�ndez, | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| |Lowenthal, Maienschein, | |Hall, Holden, Linder, |
| |Mansoor, Mitchell, | |Pan, Quirk, Wagner, Weber |
| |Nazarian, Nestande, | | |
| |V. Manuel P�rez, Wagner, | | |
| |Wieckowski, Wilk | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to
include information regarding environmental health in the
California Prenatal Screening Program Prenatal Patient Booklet
(Prenatal Patient Booklet) and to post that information on DPH's
Internet Web site. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires DPH to include information regarding environmental
health in the Prenatal Patient Booklet including, but not
limited to, the following statement:
We encounter chemicals and other substances in
everyday life that may affect your developing fetus.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce
your exposure to these potentially harmful substances
at home, in the workplace, and in the environment.
Many Californians are unaware that a number of
everyday consumer products may pose potential harm.
Prospective parents should talk to their doctor and
are encouraged to read more about this topic to learn
about simple actions to promote a healthy pregnancy.
2)Requires DPH to include in the Prenatal Patient Booklet links
to educational materials derived from peer-reviewed and
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science-based materials relating to environmental health and
reproductive toxins.
3)Requires DPH to send a notice to all distributors of the
Prenatal Patient Booklet, informing them of the change to the
Prenatal Patient Booklet. Requires DPH, in the notice, to
encourage obstetrician-gynecologists and midwives to discuss
environmental health with their patients and to direct their
patients to the appropriate page or pages in the Prenatal
Patient Booklet for additional information.
4)Requires the new information to be included in the Prenatal
Patient Booklet when the Prenatal Patient Booklet is otherwise
revised and reprinted, in order to minimize costs.
5)Allows DPH to modify the language in the booklet after
consultation with medical and scientific experts in the field
of environmental health and reproductive toxins.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, ongoing costs, not likely to exceed $50,000, to
review information related to environmental health and develop a
new page in the booklet with a specified statement and links to
information.
COMMENTS : According to the author, many pregnant women are
uninformed about environmental health and how reproductive
toxins can inhibit the health and development of their unborn
children. A recent University of California, San Francisco
survey of 2,600 obstetricians and gynecologists nationwide found
that most do not warn their pregnant patients about chemicals in
food, consumer products, or the environment that could endanger
their fetuses. A growing body of research has shown that
pregnant women's exposure to harmful chemicals can increase the
changes of cognitive and neurological impairment and cancer
later in life. If pregnant women receive information about
environmental health, they will be better equipped to make more
informed decisions and possibly reduce their exposure to harmful
reproductive toxins. In this way, women can help reduce the
chances that their children will suffer from lifelong or future
health conditions, such as cancer.
According to DPH the Prenatal Patient Booklet was last updated
in April 2013, and at that time 800,000 Prenatal Patient
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Booklets were printed, about a year's supply. DPH plans to
update the Prenatal Patient Booklet again in the Spring of 2014.
The Breast Cancer Fund is the sponsor of this bill and writes,
although it is not common knowledge, scientists now know that
breast cancer begins in the womb. A fetus is exposed to
hundreds, if not thousands, of chemicals during gestation. The
placenta, once thought to be a barrier, cannot filter these
chemicals and as a result, babies are now born "pre-polluted,"
their bodies carrying the burden of hundreds of chemicals before
they even breathe air. These chemicals can be found in
household products like canned food, cleaning products,
cosmetics, cookware, toys, and furniture. This information will
educate women about the importance of avoiding hazardous
substances in every day consumer products during their
pregnancy.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,
District IX-California, writes in support of this bill that, a
startling amount of new scientific evidence shows the impact of
environmental exposures on reproductive health including fetal
and childhood development. There is a history of the Prenatal
Patient Booklet being used for purposes other than prenatal
screening with one page devoted to information about umbilical
cord blood banking. Toxic exposure information, especially
about how to reduce exposures, is critical, time sensitive
information and as obstetricians, they believe the Prenatal
Patient Booklet is an excellent vehicle to share that
information, as all pregnant patients already receive the
Prenatal Patient Booklet.
Analysis Prepared by : Lara Flynn / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
FN: 0001940