Kids+Chemical Safety website wins 2013 Risk Communication Award

Each January, the Alliance for Chemical Safety (ACS) honors companies, individuals and organizations that have excelled in reducing risk, communicating risk or promoting chemical safety during the past year.

The risk communication award recognizes a company, organization or individual who has shown outstanding leadership in communicating about chemical risks. The award is based on several factors such as the objective of the communication, size of the intended audience, availability of public interaction, effectiveness of the communication, number of organizations involved, and whether the communication supports the Alliance for Chemical Safety's mission. Their mission is to promote public understanding and involvement in chemical risk management.

On January 15, the Alliance for Chemical Safety recognized the "Kids+Chemical Safety" (www.KidsChemicalSafety), with the 2013 Risk Communication Award. Ms. Patricia Nance and Mr. Oliver Kroner accepted the award on behalf of the Kids+Chemical Safety website.

Kids+Chemical Safety is an on-line resource available to help parents, educators and concerned citizens make sound, science-based decisions about the chemicals they and their families use every day. The website provides the latest information on chemical hazards and chemical safe use in children. The website started in October 2012 and has provided children's health information on over 37 different topics. Kids+Chemical Safety has received a variety of questions, via the "ask an Expert" tool, on issues such as chemicals in toys, chemical cleansers used in school, flame retardants, and fluoride in drinking water.

Kids+Chemical Safety is administered by Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment (TERA), a non-profit and tax-exempt organization that conducts scientific research and development on risk issues in a transparent and collaborative fashion. TERA's mission is to support the protection of public health by developing, reviewing and communicating risk assessment values and analyses; improving risk methods through research; and, educating risk assessors, managers, and the public on risk assessment issues. TERA has partnered with The Cincinnati Children's Drug and Poison Control Center, NSF International, and the Harvard Superfund Research Program, to present expert-reviewed, up-to-date online information for families about children's health related to chemicals.