Washington State Senate approves Toxic-Free Cosmetics Act
Phthalates
Proposed Bill in Washington to Tackle the Ugly Side of Beauty Products
They’re in a lot of stuff, from firefighting foam to rain gear, but PFAS in your makeup? Yuck.
A recent peer-reviewed study found PFAS (per- and perfluoroalkyl substances) in cosmetics such as foundations, lip products, and mascaras. This means we are applying PFAS-containing products directly to our skin, potentially leading to PFAS in our bodies. When we wash makeup off, the chemicals may also go down the drain and eventually wind up in waterways. Continue reading
Washington State fails to protect low-income communities from toxic chemicals
By Colin Hartke
Community members living in affordable housing and construction workers building affordable housing in Washington State are left vulnerable to toxic chemicals under a recently updated regulation. The Department of Commerce (DOC) has released an update to the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard (ESDS). It’s the state-wide regulation that must be followed for construction and remodeling of affordable housing that gets state funding, and the updated version lacks important protections from dangerous toxics. Continue reading
An ounce of prevention will save millions for taxpayers
If there needs to be any more evidence for why ending the use of PFAS in products is urgent, just look at this year’s 2021-23 budget adopted by the state legislature.
Why is getting pregnant so difficult these days? An interview with Dr. Shanna Swan on her new book
Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race, by Shanna H. Swan, Ph.D., peels back the curtain on a hidden danger all around us: toxic chemicals that are wreaking havoc on our reproductive health. Continue reading
Protect low-income communities from toxic chemicals in affordable housing
By Colin Hartke
Update: Read the comments that Toxic-Free Future, Healthy Building Network, and Natural Resources Defense Council submitted to the Department of Commerce Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard Team.
From PFAS to toxic flame retardants, dangerous chemicals harmful to health are in the materials used to build housing, including affordable housing. These chemicals don’t stay put in flooring, insulation, and other materials; they get into indoor air and dust. This means that families and communities are exposed to toxic chemicals even at home. Continue reading
Strong Coalition Unites to Tackle Toxics Impacting People and Orcas
It’s time for immediate action to address the toxic chemicals harming orcas and people! That’s why over 40 organizations have come together to urge action on the Pollution Prevention for Our Future Act.
Continue readingOur Shared Contamination Crisis
Harmful toxic chemicals added to consumer products, like TVs or carpeting, can escape the product and contaminate our homes, food, breastmilk, and bodies. The same toxic chemicals, including toxic flame retardants, phthalates, and nonstick PFAS, are making their way into the environment and affecting the health of orcas, their young, and their food sources too. Continue reading
Toxic Soup: Chemicals of Concern for Humans and Orcas
Five classes of chemicals in consumer products are emerging as particular concern for the health of both humans and orcas. Continue reading
Bold Actions for Puget Sound
Over the last month we’ve been glued to news reports about Tahlequah, the 22-year-old Southern Resident Killer Whale that carried her dead calf hundreds of miles for nearly three weeks. I had tears in my eyes more than once thinking about the baby orca that had deadly chemicals flowing from its mother to its body before it even had a chance to be born. We know that this is what happens with human babies too. Continue reading