Georgians are unable to work and need to live off of benefits from Social Security disability insurance for a variety of reasons. In some cases it may be due to injury; in other cases, it’s a debilitating illness that prevents people from holding down a job.
Depending on the illness, it could be made worse by the presence of certain harmful or irritating chemicals in manufactured goods — in some cases, ubiquitous items that people may not realize are harmful.
An advocacy group called Safer Chemicals Healthy Families is one of several organizations that is asking 10 national retailers, including Walgreens, Home Depot and Best Buy, to phase out the use of various chemicals that are used in common household and consumer items.
Some retailers have taken action in the last few years on some of their potentially dangerous products. Walmart agreed to stop using a flame retardant in its products in 2011, while Home Depot and Lowe’s pulled products containing coal tar, which has been linked to cancer.
The groups say that federal standards aren’t stringent enough to keep the chemicals out of products. One advocate points out that the Toxic Control Substances Act, which was meant to provide some level of public protection, hasn’t been majorly updated since its passage nearly four decades ago.
People in Atlanta who are considering filing for Social Security disability benefits may wish to consult with an experienced Social Security disability insurance attorney to help them navigate the application process — and, if necessary, the appeals process.
Source: USA Today, “Ten retailers urged to pull potentially toxic products,” Wendy Koch, April 10, 2013
