Blog

Extremely persistent and cancer-causing chemicals called PFAS chemicals are used in firefighting foam and gear. They are contaminating drinking water and threatening firefighter health.

United behind the belief that cancer-causing nonstick “PFAS” chemicals do not belong in our food, our bodies, or the environment, over 30 leading health, environmental, community, and faith organizations have come together in the 2018 legislative session to urge passage of the Healthy Food Packaging Act (HB 2658/SB 6396).

If you’ve eaten microwave popcorn, a blueberry muffin, french fries, or toast with butter, it’s possible a dose of nonstick chemicals came with your meal.

Last week, thanks to our coalition partners WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Sierra Club, and Earthjustice, and others, a federal court ordered the U.S. EPA to update standards for lead in paint and dust to protect children’s health. The agency must propose the revised standards in 90 days, and finalize them a year after that, despite EPA’s arguments for a further delay.

This week the news broke that EPA had moved rules to ban certain uses of three dangerous chemicals from the “pending” column into the “long-term action” column in its regulatory agenda.

In a year like 2017, it’s more important than ever to celebrate the victories. This week we learned that Michael Dourson has withdrawn from consideration for Assistant Administrator of the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. This great news followed a persistent campaign to defeat his nomination by numerous environmental health organizations and […]

We have the opportunity to make real change in 2018 by banning the use of toxic nonstick chemicals (PFAS chemicals) in food packaging, but we need help from health care professionals! When it comes to health issues like toxic chemicals in food, legislators listen to health care professionals– experts who are dedicated to keeping us […]

People often ask me and my staff why we do what we do. That’s easy to answer. I strongly believe that it’s unacceptable that chemical companies can put chemicals into the world without making sure the chemicals won’t harm our health. I also know we can do something about it.

Together with our partners & supporters, we helped secure several landmark environmental health victories in 2017 and set the stage for even more in 2018! Thanks to everyone who was a part of these victories!

A few weeks ago, a new report on children’s environmental health crossed my desk. The findings show that kids’ in the United States are at high risk for chronic diseases like cancer and asthma, some of which can be attributed to increasing exposures to toxic chemicals like toxic flame retardants, lead, and phthalates.