Editor’s Note: This post was written by Erika Schreder, Science Director, and Mike Schade, Mind the Store Campaign Director
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
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.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Gretchen Salter, Safer States, 206- 619-0973
(Portland, OR) –States are stepping up to protect public health from harmful chemicals, according to an analysis by Safer States. The analysis found that at least 29 states will consider more than 180 policies to require companies to disclose what is in their products as well as limit exposures to toxic chemicals. These policies include bans on PFAS in food packaging and firefighting foam as well as bans on toxic flame retardants in electronics. The analysis, including a searchable database, is available online at SaferStates.org/bill-tracker.
CONTACT: Jamie Nolan, jamienolan@saferchemicals.org, 410-463-9869
Seattle, WA– A coalition of environmental health advocacy groups today released new research revealing hazardous and outdated flame retardant chemicals contained in streaming televisions from Best Buy and Amazon. Continue reading
In a groundbreaking move, the European Commission has adopted a regulation to ban organohalogen flame retardants in televisions and other displays. The ban goes into effect in 2021, protecting Europeans as well as workers around the globe from unnecessary exposure to these harmful chemicals. Continue reading
As consumers increasingly demand less toxic products and laws require the use of safer chemicals, retailers are requiring suppliers to stop using harmful chemicals in consumer products.
Chemicals included in these voluntary phaseouts include four classes of chemicals that have emerged as a particular concern for the health of both humans and wildlife: PFAS, toxic flame retardants, phthalates, and APEs.
Continue readingIt’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.
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