Action alert: Ask congress to ban PBTs
We've been talking about TSCA a lot around here -- it's the reform of Toxic Substances Control Act that will soon begin wending its way through the congressional process in Washington DC. It's important because it will update a 1976...Read More...
Washington State mom testifies before Congress
In November, we told you about the Earliest Exposures Report -- a report which described the test results of pregnant women who were tested in Washington, Oregon and California. Despite their best efforts, the mothers-to-be tested with high levels of...Read More...
The health case for TSCA reform
The evidence is clear: Americans will be healthier if exposure to toxic chemicals is reduced, resulting in lower health care costs across the nation. This information is in an analysis released last week titled "The health case for reforming the...Read More...
FDA on BPA: What it means for the states
Imagine that you're the captain of the world's largest oil tanker. And you see danger ahead, and you need to turn that ship around as soon as possible, or at least steer the tanker to get it out of danger....Read More...
EPA Establishes a Chemicals of Concern List
Late last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an intention to create a "Chemicals of Concern" list which would give priority to some chemicals which are of particular danger to Americans. Immediately, phthalates and PBDE chemicals are being added...Read More...
Update on BPA
The message is clear: Americans are getting fed up with the use of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in a tremendous number of products in our lives. Pick up most newspapers, journals and magazines and you will see articles showing health effects and...Read More...
Deca phase-out throughout the United States
We at SAFER states are thrilled with two major developments on the phase out of toxic flame retardants. As a result of action in the SAFER states over the last several years and often mentioned here, the EPA has negotiated...Read More...
13 states dictate principles for toxics reform
Officials from thirteen states joined forces today to dictate a set of eight guiding principles to be used for reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act, or TSCA -- a law from 1976 which provides the EPA with the authority...Read More...
States' Principles on Reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act
On December 2, 2009, 13 states dictated principles for the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act. Officials from California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington signed the principles. Read...Read More...
FDA delays decision on BPA
Monday, environmental health advocates saw a promised FDA deadline pass. Congressmen Waxman and Stupak formally asked the FDA for a decision about the safety of Bisphenol-A (BPA). Scientific studies have linked BPA to known health effects including impaired brain and...Read More...
Reports from the field: Million Baby Crawl
Last week, in events around the country, thousands of concerned citizens came out in support of the Million Baby Crawl —a joint effort by Seventh Generation and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families to urge Congress to reform toxic chemical policy. The...Read More...
Million Baby Crawl Events - November 18
A couple weeks ago, we told you about the Million Baby Crawl -- a campaign that is being sponsored by Seventh Generation in conjunction with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families to encourage legislative change to tighten federal restrictions on toxic chemicals....Read More...
Join the Million Baby Crawl!
Seventh Generation, a company known for a focus on safe, non-toxic cleaning products, is sponsoring the Million Baby Crawl to to demand toxic chemical policy reform from Congress. The Crawl consists of a virtual baby march. On the site, you...Read More...
Obama, EPA set out to reform chemical regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Obama administration are setting out to reform the nation’s decades-old approach to chemical regulation, according to an announcement made Tuesday by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. Jackson said in a speech that chemical regulation is...Read More...
EPA announces plans to step up chemical regulation
The Environmental Protection Agency’s toxics chief says his agency has plans to dramatically ramp up regulation of toxic chemicals and could go as far as banning some existing chemicals that pose threats to human health. Steve Owens said the EPA...Read More...
Press buzzing over healthystuff.org
The release of healthystuff.org last week had newspapers, bloggers, TV news and radio buzzing. The new site is a resource that rates a variety of products based on the presence of toxic chemicals. Healthystuff.org focuses on toxics in pet products,...Read More...
New site calls out toxic products, points to safe ones
The chew toy your dog plays with, the material of your handbag, the surfaces inside your car – they’re all sources of toxic chemicals in daily life, according to testing results available on the new Web site HealthyStuff.org. Healthystuff.org launches...Read More...
AMA calls for chemical policy reform
The nation's largest association of physicians and medical students has resolved to advocate for improved chemical policy and environmental health practices in the United States. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommended restructuring of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to...Read More...
Toymaker giant Mattel exempt from toxics testing rules
New toy safety regulations are in the news again after the Consumer Product Safety Commission has granted the country’s largest toymaker an exemption. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act requires third-party testing of toys to ensure that toymakers large and...Read More...
BPA industry fights back with tobacco-inspired propaganda
A four-month investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s watchdog reporters has found that the chemical and plastics industries are undertaking a massive million-dollar public relations campaign to distort information about the safety of the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA). The...Read More...
Experts signal seriousness of hormone disruptors
You know something must be going on when a medical specialty organization for endocrinology publishes a scientific paper on chemicals in plastics and pesticides and personal care products. Endocrinology is the study of the endocrine glands, like the thyroid, pituitary,...Read More...
Chemical industry supports reform of toxics law
Today the American Chemistry Council, the trade association for chemical companies, released their “10 Principles” for reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act, the 33 year-old law that is the focus of our campaign. We released our principles as well. The...Read More...
Bottles sold as 'BPA-free' may not be
Baby bottles marketed as "BPA-free" may actually contain the toxic chemical, testing by Canada's public health agency shows. Nine bottle brands tested by Health Canada were found to contain bisphenol A - and two of the nine had high readings...Read More...
Tap water satisfies thirst for knowledge better than bottled
Water drinkers can learn much more about any contaminants present in tap water than they can bottled water, according to two reports released last week. Differences in how the two are regulated have led to gaps in requirements for bottled...Read More...
'Beginning of the end' for phthalates
Canada is planning to ban a variety of phthalates, following the lead of U.S. and European bans. One Canadian environmental advocate said Canada’s move marks “the beginning of the end for this chemical.” The U.S. banned several permutations of phthalates...Read More...
Chemical industry angers demographic it wants to woo
In the aftermath of revelations that representatives of the food packaging and chemical industries met at a swanky Washington D.C. club recently to talk about how to generate positive public opinion on controversial chemical bisphenol A there was one group...Read More...
Chemical industry on the ropes
Chemical and food industry representatives held a closed-door meeting at an exclusive Washington, D.C. club late last week to discuss how to turn the tide of increasingly negative public opinion surrounding the toxic chemical bisphenol A, according to weekend reports...Read More...
Carcinogens put Johnson & Johnson in hot water
In the aftermath of a report revealing that popular Johnson & Johnson baby care products contain carcinogens, a coalition of environmental, health and consumer groups are demanding the company remove the toxins from their product line. The chemicals in question...Read More...
A toxic-free mother's day in Maine
On Friday, May 8, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree got an early Mother’s Day gift from her daughter Hannah Pingree on behalf of all the children of Maine. Hannah Pingree is Maine’s Speaker of the House and the sponsor of last year’s...Read More...
Congress to consider national BPA ban
Congressional leaders have introduced a bill to ban bisphenol A in all food and beverage containers, capping weeks of milestones for the movement to ban BPA. The bill is a big step forward and goes further than some bans being...Read More...
Testimony to Congress affirms need for federal chemical reform
A Congressional hearing about the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) explored the gaps in the 33-year old statute that prevent the U.S. from having an effective chemical safety policy. A number of speakers from the environmental health and justice movements...Read More...
Federal Reform
The nation’s law governing toxic chemicals is fatally flawed and in urgent need of an overhaul by Congress. The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) fails to control chemical risks. The 33-year-old law is out of step with recent science that...Read More...
