Obesity: What do chemicals have to do with it?
It's no secret that the United States is battling overwhelming issues with obesity. Current statistics show that 34% of Americans are clinically obese, and 68% are overweight1, and the federal government has found that a third of American children are...Read More...
Finally! Toy Makers Come Clean On Hidden Chemicals
Originally published at Washington Toxics Coalition. Remember the Fall of 2007 when Thomas, Elmo, Dora, and over 20 million toys were pulled from toy store shelves because they contained high levels of lead? Parents and other concerned consumers were left...Read More...
New home study: Harmful chemicals in our floors, walls
We all know that children's toys should be checked for toxic chemicals, and many studies have done so, prompting removal of harmful chemicals and recalls of harmful products. Now a new study from the Ecology Center is focusing on home...Read More...
Cancer and the Environment: The President's Cancer Panel
Last week, the President's Cancer Panel -- a panel of doctors originally appointed by President Bush -- released a damning report underlining the acute need for stronger toxics laws. The report, which was submitted to President Obama before it was...Read More...
Safety of cosmetic products: Who is protecting us?
Our partner organization in Maine -- The Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine -- has released a report which analyzed the safety of chemicals that are found in twelve cosmetic and personal care products. The report outlines specific findings...Read More...
The Toxies names the bad actors of toxics
We are all looking forward to the Oscars this weekend, but this week Hollywood played host to another awards ceremony: The Toxies. This tongue-in-cheek awards ceremony hosted by Citizens for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE) was created to bring...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...
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...
Healthy Holidays with Safer States
As we wrap up this year, Safer States wishes you and your families a very happy and healthy holiday. As you are celebrating with your families, please remember to keep them happy by following a few simple tips for gift...Read More...
Pregnant moms are exposed to toxic chemicals
The Washington Toxics Coalition yesterday released a study which is being called the first of its kind. The project tested nine pregnant women from Washington, Oregon and California for levels of toxic chemicals in their bodies, and thus being exposed...Read More...
PSR report: Toxic chemicals in health care workers
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) released an important study last week. They studied the toxic chemicals found in 20 health professionals for a first-ever look into chemicals in their bodies. The sample study tested major chemical types in ten Safer...Read More...
Are household products making kids fat?
A fascinating article at Grist.com takes at look at how endocrine-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA), flame retardants (PBDEs), PVC and phthalates are correlated to the obesity epidemic. Can chemicals make us fat? Many scientists are starting to connect the...Read More...
Cocktail of chemicals to blame for decline in male virility
A recent British study is building on the case many scientists are making that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are responsible for a growing number of genital deformities and reproductive problems in men. These chemicals, which include bisphenol A, phthalates and many pesticides,...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...
Phthalates in IV tubes put preemies at risk
Intravenous feeding tubes that contain phthalates may raise liver disease risks for premature babies, a new study reports. Premature infants are already at high risk for liver complications. The study, released Monday in the journal Pediatrics, found that liver problems...Read More...
Rise in chemicals leads to 'reproductive roulette'
Reproductive health has declined as the number of chemicals families are exposed to rises, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress. Chemical production in the United States has increased 30 percent since 1979. Problems with reproduction...Read More...
Powerful words urge action on phthalates
Phthalates are everywhere, and recent high-profile articles are making sure people know it - and that they push the government to do something about it. In a powerful editorial last week, Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times pressed...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...
Doctor explores link between toxic chemicals and autism
One of America’s leading pediatricians is asking whether hormone-disrupting chemicals like bisphenol A, phthalates and flame retardants are to blame for the rising tide of autism. Harvey Karp, M.D., best-selling author of The Happiest Baby on the Block and an...Read More...
Endocrine disruptors threaten our reproductive health
The alarming health threat posed by endocrine-disrupting chemicals including phthalates and bisphenol A was clearly distilled Sunday in a column, It's Time to Learn From Frogs, by the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof. Kristof, who often writes about global conflict,...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...
BPA affects development of monkeys, tadpoles and humans
The bad news keeps on coming as scientists continue to learn more about bisphenol A. Studies released in the past week show that: male monkeys who were exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) in the womb act more like female monkeys...Read More...
Celebrate Earth Day with a greener home
One of the simplest ways to make your home healthier and greener is to switch from toxic cleaners to simple solutions made with basics like water, vinegar and baking soda, according to an Earth Day story in USA Today. More...Read More...
Scientists shocked to find link between vinyl flooring and autism
A recent scientific study looking at Swedish children and their home environment may be one of the first to show a link between autism and an environmental chemical, according to a story in Environmental Health News. The study did not...Read More...
Online videos offer latest science on toxic chemicals
If you want to get up to speed on the latest science about the link between toxic chemicals and human health, two short videos available online provide excellent tutorials on the issues. The first is an 8-minute interview with John...Read More...
Toy safety law takes effect today
A new federal law regulating lead and phthalate levels in children’s toys takes effect today. The law is a big step forward for children’s health and safety. After today retailers cannot sell toys with more than 600 parts of lead...Read More...
New site tracks chemicals' effect on development
A new Web site launching tomorrow compiles extensive research on hormone-disrupting chemicals like BPA and phthalates and shows their impact on the timeline of fetal development. The Web site was created by a group of scientists who have studied these...Read More...
Business groups derail consumer protection law, for now
A consumer protection law aimed at guarding children from high levels of lead and phthalates in toys and other products won’t be enforced for another year. The product safety law was set to go into effect on Feb. 10. But...Read More...
Phthalate found in cosmetics linked to severe skin allergies
An article in Environmental Health Perspectives links a common form of phthalate, DEHP, to severe skin allergies in newborn mice, who have been exposed to the chemical through their mother’s milk. Rates of skin allergies have been on the rise,...Read More...
New toxics standards won't apply to sale of used toys, clothes
A flurry of stories in the media over the past several days have pointed to the upcoming Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act as bad for business, saying the new law will cause many small businesses to go broke. The act...Read More...
California's phthalates ban now in effect
A new law in California banning chemicals called phthalates took effect January 1. Next month, a federal ban on phthalates will take effect. But what are phthalates and why do they need to be banned? The Northern California NPR station...Read More...
Californians expected to bring their brand of environmental regulation to Washington
An article in the Washington Post examines a powerful contingent of California lawmakers heading to Washington this year and the potential impact the group could have. California has long had the reputation of a trendsetting in the realm of regulation...Read More...
Phthalate levels are down in some personal care products
A recent survey of personal care products shows that smaller amounts of phthalates are being used and in some cases the toxic chemical has been removed from products entirely, according to a story in USA Today. The study was released...Read More...
Hair spray found to be potential culprit in birth defects
An analysis of possible causes of hypospadias, a reproductive birth defect in baby boys in which the urethral opening is abnormally located, has pointed to hair spray as a contributing factor. An English study compared exposures of mothers whose boys...Read More...
Study: Chemicals feminizing male wildlife from Africa to the Artic
Chemicals commonly used in many consumer goods are contaminating the environment and affecting the sex organs of a vast array of wildlife and therefore affecting animals' ability to reproduce, according to a study by CHEM Trust released Sunday. Canada's television...Read More...
Toys with toxic chemical will stay on shelves past ban
A federal ban on the toxic chemical phthalates in children’s toys lost some of its punch last week when federal safety regulators announced the ban wouldn’t apply to products already in warehouses or stores. The law made it illegal to...Read More...
Toy manufacturers trying to evade new lead standards
Toy manufacturers are asking the government to relax new lead standards, saying they can’t possibly meet the new standards by Feb. 10, 2009. A law passed in August requires manufacturers and retailers to stop selling toys that don’t meet tough...Read More...
Maine video explores how to protect your family from dangerous chemicals
Tired of trying to protect your family from dangerous chemicals on your own? Help may be on the way! Watch this fun flash movie about the need for safer products free of dangerous chemicals, and what YOU can do to...Read More...
Phthalates tied to preeclampsia in pregnant women
A new study has found that preeclampsia, a condition which causes dangerously high blood pressure in pregnant women, may actually be a protective reaction to high levels of estrogen and may protect baby boys from developing testicular cancer later in...Read More...
Washington group offers tips for choosing toxic-free rain gear
Rain, rain, go away… But the rain is here to stay in the maritime Northwest and many other parts of the country. During the rainy season your choice of rain gear can make all the difference. There are many chemicals...Read More...
Discounted toxic toys flooding the market in advance of ban
In advance of an impending February 2009 ban on phthalates in toys, toymakers are focused on liquidating their phthalate-laden toy inventory rather than destroying the toxic toys. According to a Wall Street Journal story, an unintended and unexpected consequence of...Read More...
New data strengthen link between phthalates, problems with male genitals
In 2005, Shanna Swan of the University of Rochester published the first data in humans linking prenatal exposure to phthalates with altered genital development in baby boys. She discovered the connection in a long-term pregnancy study in which she sampled...Read More...
USA Today: Exposure to chemical may affect genitals of baby boys
Pregnant women’s exposure to chemicals called phthalates can affect the development of baby boys, potentially giving them smaller penises and undescended testicles. According to a recent story in USA Today, a new study published in Environmental Research shows that phthalates...Read More...
Substitute It Now: Environmental group releases list of 300 toxic chemicals
A Swedish-based environmental group, ChemSec, has created a list of more than 300 chemicals of very high concern present in consumer products that may cause cancer or persist in the environment for a long period of time. ChemSec released the...Read More...
About Phthalates
Phthalates Globally, more than 18 billion pounds of phthalates are produced each year. They are primarily used as plasticizers in flexible polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products, such as vinyl shower curtains, flooring, and medical devices, among many others. Phthalates also appear...Read More...
New ruling improves toy safety, but not before holidays
The Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel released a new ruling that creates tougher lead and phthalate standards for toy makers. The ruling sets a more stringent lead standard for toys sold in the U.S., regardless of where the toys...Read More...
Congress passes bill to ban chemicals in some products
Congress recently passed legislation that will dramatically improve the safety of consumer products, including children's toys. A USA Today article, Not toying around: Congress OKs bill to ban chemicals in some products, examines the implications of the legislation. The bill...Read More...
"Is It in Us?"
A story in Newsweek recently highlighted the work of the SAFER coalition. The story featured the results of SAFER's study of toxic chemicals in our bodies called "Is It in Us?" All 35 people who were studied had three classes...Read More...
