My daughter, Riley, was born in October 1996. After months of not knowing why Riley screamed inconsolably, it was discovered that she had a non-genetic birth defect which had split one of her kidneys in two. She was admitted to the hospital two days later for a partial nephrectomy — removal of the ureter and part of the kidney. She was left with part of a kidney which would be fully functioning in time, and a healthy right kidney. Riley would have died had the defect not been found and immediately corrected.

I will never forget the sound of her cries in the hospital for days following her operation. During this time my husband and I questioned what had caused her birth defect. We began researching birth defects that are not inherited, and their causes. We studied chemicals. I called every chemical company I knew. I called chemists, environmentalists, pharmacists, and last but not least, the pest control service that we used while I was pregnant. This is what we believe caused Riley's birth defect.

The pest control service assured me that the chemicals they used were safe during pregnancy. They applied a growth inhibitor and a flea and bug killer. The growth inhibitor would kill the pests' eggs and the other chemical would kill all other bugs. When they first started spraying, they didn't know that I was pregnant. When I started to show that I was clearly pregnant, the service man stated "well since you are pregnant I will use just the baits instead of the spray." I asked him about the previous months when he hadn't known that I was pregnant. He assured me the spray was positively safe, but that he would rather use just baits from here on. In my research I found that most chemicals are tested and considered safe when tested on an average, 150 lb. adult male

They used a chemical in our house every month for the full time I was pregnant — one which was considered safe for an average adult. I weigh 105 lbs. and my full term baby was 7.5 lbs. We realize now that the pain and suffering that my daughter had to go through could have been prevented with better laws that protect the special needs of children. My daughter is now a healthy two year old.

After learning about the Children's Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), I called our Representatives, and I talked to our Senator. I gave a speech to all the Head Start teachers in our area. I gathered over 100 signatures to send to our Senator asking him to cosponsor CEPA. Each voice matters. If everyone would call their Senators and Representatives and voice their support for CEPA, it would make a difference. Our children deserve it.

— Written by Bethany Kays

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