The Human Experiment is a new documentary by California film-maker Dana Nachman and narrated by Sean Penn, and is the manifestation of a film that I believe has long needed to be made. It focuses on the chemicals people are exposed to on a daily basis from common products such as plastics and body care products, and shows the history and policy decisions that have led to the current situation. It also shares some moving true stories of what has happened to several people who suffered direct physical effects of chemicals including a couple who had trouble conceiving and even lost a child due to impacts on hormones from plastic chemicals, and a house-cleaner who experienced skin rashes and respiratory effects from toxic cleaners and who now works for a green cleaning company. Friday’s showing at Cinema Village, NYC was followed by a discussion featuring Ansje Miler of Center for Environmental Health, Maida Galvez of the Mount Sinai Children’s Environmental Health Center, and Ashley Orgain from Seventh Generation, a Vermont-based company that has been providing eco-friendly cleaning products for years. The groups involved are opposing the adoption of a current bill that weakens the Toxic Substances Control Act. Take action here: Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. For more info on the film or to organize a screening, see thehumanexperimentmovie.com.