( CNN ) -- Imagine if every time you went to the pharmacy , shopping for medications was a complete guessing game . What if drug makers were n't required to disclose ingredients in their products or prove their safety , leaving you without a way to determine whether what you 're buying is safe for you and your family ? You would live in fear that the medicine you purchased to make your child feel better could actually harm them . It 's a frightening scenario , and one that we would never accept . Yet , because of our outdated and broken toxic chemicals law , that is precisely the situation with the consumer products we use every day . These products -- from baby bottles and shampoo to car seats and sofas -- contain tens of thousands of untested chemicals . Last week , I joined with hundreds of moms from across the country to sound the alarm and call on Congress to fix this broken law . These parents came to Washington because they 're worried that the chemicals found in these ordinary products are putting their families ' health at risk . They 're right to worry , because in recent studies , scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 212 industrial chemicals -- including six cancer-causing chemicals -- coursing through Americans ' bodies . In essence , the American public has become a living , breathing repository for toxic chemical substances . These chemicals have been linked to numerous diseases . Studies show as much as 5 % of childhood cancers , 10 % of neurobehavioral disorders and 30 % of childhood asthma cases are associated with hazardous chemicals . The existing law that regulates chemical safety , the Toxic Substances Control Act , was written in the 1970s and is ineffective and outdated . In nearly 35 years , it has allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to require testing of only 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals in its inventory . What 's more , EPA has been able to ban only five substances . The law is so broken that when EPA tried to ban uses of asbestos , a known cancer-causing chemical , its rules were overturned in court . This status quo is dangerous and unacceptable . That 's why I 've introduced a bill called the Safe Chemicals Act , which simply requires that chemical makers prove their chemicals are safe before they end up in our products and bodies . It would ensure that chemicals are tested and that those deemed dangerous are taken off the market . But sadly , some chemical companies and their lobbyists are fighting reform at every turn . Just recently , the Chicago Tribune exposed a concerted effort by some chemical companies to use dirty tricks and junk science to mislead the public about the dangers of their products . The report detailed how industry bankrolled experts who testified with fake stories , all in an effort to protect the health of their profits instead of the health of our families and children . They 've specifically fought to protect flame retardant chemicals such as chlorinated Tris , which is so dangerous that companies voluntarily stopped using it in children 's pajamas more than 30 years ago . But while scientists have warned us about chemicals such as chlorinated Tris since the 1970s , they continue to be used in products all around us , including furniture , cribs , mattresses and high-chair cushions . Now , let 's be clear : The Safe Chemicals Act is not an attack on chemicals . Chemicals are used in hundreds of useful products , and most of the thousands of chemicals we use everyday are safe . But we need to be able to separate the safe from the dangerous . Under our current law , we ca n't do that . That 's what this bill fixes . The chemical industry 's lobbyists argue that the cost of testing all these chemicals would be too high . But what is the cost of our children 's health ? For three years , I 've invited input from all sides of this issue , including the chemical industry . But despite claims of interest in reform , industry lobbyists are refusing to offer concrete suggestions and trying to run out the clock on our efforts . We can not accept inaction any longer . It is time to come together to finally fix this law and protect our families from toxic chemicals once and for all . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Frank R. Lautenberg .
Sen. Lautenberg : cribs needs to fix our outdated toxic chemicals law . He says ordinary products such as Congress and couches contain dangerous chemicals . Frank Lautenberg : My Safe Chemicals Act can help reduce the health risks for American . Lobbyists are fighting reform , but we can not accept inaction any longer , says Lautenberg .