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Hey EPA, Stop Stalling Your Study on One of the Most Toxic Chemicals on the Planet!

January 27, 2012 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

 The EPA has been buying time—27 years worth, to be exact—on evaluating the risks of dioxin exposure.  Dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known to science—and nearly every American has measurable levels of dioxin in their body.  Even babies are born pre-polluted with potentially harmful levels of dioxin.  In 1985, EPA concluded that there was an increased cancer risk in humans at dioxin exposure levels lower than had been estimated by any government agency anywhere in the world.

But even with these and other known health hazards linked to dioxin, the EPA’s report—the “Dioxin Reassessment”—still remains a draft, which has stymied the agency’s development of federal regulations for over 25 years. more »

Guest Blogger: 50 Things I Do To Reduce

January 25, 2012 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

Crossposted from Kids Around Canada, by Eco-Communications professional, Lisa Borden.

We recently came across this article by fellow eco-tip lover Lisa Borden.  It’s a run-down of the 50 things she does to reduce the stuff in her everyday life, and it’s a real-life, practical list–not just some promotion for so-called “green” products that will just add to the junk we already have.  Because, as we all know, we “can’t buy our way out of the problem”.

Below are our six favorites from Lisa’s list (in no particular order), but you can also see the full list of 50 here.

1.  Stop all junk mail (Here’s a link to Practically Green http://practicallygreen.com/sign-up-for-a-catalog-reduction-service, where you can stop your unwanted catalogues as well as find resources to stop all that other junk).

2.     No water in plastic bottles – that includes vitamin waters, herbal waters and other bottled water pretending to be better than bottled water (keeping our hormones undisrupted).

3.  Asking waiters/hosts at restaurants to not give paper and plastic disposables – napkins, placemats, straws, cups, ketchup and soy sauce packets (don’t get me started on that green plastic sushi grass!).

4.  Offering products we no longer need to friends – try listing on Craigslist,  or Freecycle if no one I know wants it.

5. Taking kids art and remodeling into other art, or making it into gift tags (after taking digital pictures to preserve the memory, of course).

6. Remembering to unplug chargers, and refusing to use energy when it’s not working for me. (bonus: lower bills).

For the full list, see 50 Things I Do to Reduce by Lisa Borden.

 

California Consumers Feeling Like Santorum (or Romney?) After Iowa

January 20, 2012 – 11:17 am Charles Margulis

Like Rick Santorum who was shot down by a close vote in Iowa (no wait, apparently it was Romney who lost), yesterday a bill to require labels on GMO fish was narrowly defeated in a California Assembly committee vote.

An op-ed yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle by Consumers Union (CU), the nation’s leading consumer advocacy organization (and publisher of Consumer Reports magazine), noted the overwhelming public support for labels on GMO fish. Their poll found 95% of Americans want labels on food from GMO animals – even more support than Wisconsin residents voiced for Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers (not to mention Jesus or Abraham Lincoln). CU also points out that GMO fish could trigger potentially deadly allergies and pose threats to wild salmon, but apparently some California legislators are willing to take that chance.

On the positive side, one “yes” vote yesterday in support of labeling came from the Chair of the state Assembly’s Select Committee on Biotechnology, a rabidly pro-GMO body. Legislators received thousands of calls and letters from constituents calling for support of GMO labeling, building an educational foundation for next time around.

Meanwhile, bills to require labels on GMO food have just been introduced in the Senate and House in the state of Washington, and Californians are collecting signatures for a ballot measure to require GMO food labels.  Yesterday may have been a loss for consumers’ right to know, but as Rick Santorum might have said to Romney, I’ll be back on your ass tomorrow.

VIDEO: Fear Factory

January 19, 2012 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

From the toxics in it’s electronic products to it’s horrendous working conditions, the Foxconn factory is  the hellish nightmare behind all our shiny smart phones and electronic gadgets.

Now Foxconn is seeing more attention from American media.  This week, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart aired this funny, but tremendously eye-opening and sobering segment on the infamous Chinese electronics factory.

Check it out for a real look inside the Foxconn factory.

 

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GMO Salmon: What’s the Catch?

January 18, 2012 – 5:00 am Charles Margulis

This week, a California State Assembly committee will vote on a bill (AB 88) to require labeling of genetically modified (GMO) fish. In response to the potential FDA approval of GMO salmon, California must take this opportunity to protect state consumers’ right to know what is in our food.

Take action! Call on your state Assembly Member to vote “YES” on AB 88.

Proponents say we need cheaper, faster growing GMO salmon. But there’s a catch: there is little evidence that the gene altered fish are necessary, safe to eat, or harmless to the environment. On the other hand, scientists say there are reasons to be concerned:

  • GMO fish could unexpectedly trigger new food allergies or have altered levels of important nutrients;
  • Accidental releases from fish farms are common; in the wild, GMO fish could outcompete and/or spread diseases to natural fish populations.

This latter point was highlighted last month, when reports revealed that the company intending to bring GMO salmon to market had an outbreak of a serious fish virus at its salmon rearing facility in 2009. This outbreak was not discussed at FDA’s 2010 public hearing on the GMO salmon, and the agency has not revealed if it knew about the problem (and covered it up) or if the company hid the information and sought approval based on false assurances of safety. CEH joined nine consumer, environmental and fishery protection organizations in calling on FDA to suspend approval of GMO salmon pending review of this new information. more »

NY Advocates Win PCBs Right-to-Know Battle

January 10, 2012 – 10:31 am Mary Brune

Penelope Jagessar-Chaffer (center) with daughter Oceana

By Mary Brune, crossposted from the Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS) blog

A few weeks back I wrote about MOMS member Penelope Jagessar-Chaffer joining dozens of other concerned citizens at a press conference on the steps of NY City Hall to urge the NY City Council to pass legislation that would force disclosure of PCBs leaking from antiquated lighting fixtures throughout the NYC Public school system.

A week later, the Council unanimously voted to amend the city’s charter to require disclosure to parents upon the detection of PCB leakage, the results of which— many advocates hope— will be increased pressure from parents to accelerate the Department of Education’s 10-year plan to remove the hazardous fixtures from schools.

This is a huge victory for NYC schoolchildren, teachers, and school staff. NYC parents and advocates have won this battle. But to quote a fellow New Jersey native, Bruce Springsteen (I’ve always wanted to do that) “there’s a war outside still raging.”  Tackling the issue of PCBs in schools is just one of the many ways parents can, and must, step in to voice concerns and encourage reforms that would help protect children’s health. more »

Getting Rid of That Holiday (E-waste) Weight

January 5, 2012 – 2:40 pm Ali Geering-Kline

CEH is here to help you get rid of some of that holiday weight.  No, not the pounds you put on from indulging in eggnog and cookies—we’re talking about those extra electronics pounds you may have gained.

After all that gift giving and receiving, many of us have acquired  pounds of new electronics—maybe from a new laptop, smart phone, flatscreen TV or DVD player.  Those gifts are great, but they often leave in their wake unwanted pounds of electronics that sadly become post-holiday e-waste.

Now is the time to rid your house of this old electronic waste. We’ve written about e-waste before, and how recycling electronics the right way and right away is so important.  It’s the only way to ensure that: 1) your toxic gadgets are not exported to developing countries, dumped in digital graveyards, incinerated, and dismantled by untrained workers, exposing them to our electronics’ toxic insides and 2) to increase the chance that your electronics will be able to be reused.

Start the New Year off right by immediately dealing with old electronics the right way.   Become a responsible e-waste recycling hero: find an e-Steward (a third-party, independently audited certification program representing the highest standards in the industry) in your area at www.e-Stewards.org!

Can’t find an e-Steward in your area?  Urge your local recyclers to become certified e-Stewards.  Tell them you and your friends and family look forward to giving them your growing pile of e-waste as soon as they become certified.  A recycler may tell you that they are certified under” R2 (Responsible Recycling)” and while on the surface R2 “sounds good”, that standard has many loopholes and does not ensure that your e-waste will be handled properly.

Rid yourself of this extra baggage this month, support recyclers who are doing the right thing, and the New Year will be looking brighter already!

EPA Mercury Limits, a Health Victory for Moms!

December 22, 2011 – 10:12 am Mary Brune

Yesterday, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson announced historic nationwide protections from mercury and other toxins from dirty power plants. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that poisons the air we breathe, the fish we eat and presents great risks to pregnant women and young children. The new standard will mark the first time that the federal government has mandated limits on mercury, acid gases, and other cancer-causing chemicals from coal-fired power plants.

Mary Brune, MOMS Project director for the Center for Environmental Health, issued the following statement in celebration of this rule:

“By passing this new rule on mercury emissions, the Obama Administration and the EPA gave mothers across the country a real gift this week. Every year, between 300,000 – 600,000 babies are born with unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies. Up to 70 percent of this mercury pollution comes from coal-fired power plants. As a potent neurotoxin, exposure to mercury can affect brain development and severely limit a child’s potential. This new standard will cut that pollution by more than 90 percent, and will also reduce toxic emissions of arsenic, dioxins, acid gases, and other dangerous chemicals. It’s like giving our children back their futures.

“MOMS thanks President Obama and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for their leadership. We also note that this was a hard-earned victory. Earlier this year, MOMS members from across the country added their voices to the more than 800,000 Americans who supported this rule. We urge the EPA and Obama Administration to build on this historic achievement and enact comprehensive chemical policy reform so that all Americans can enjoy their right to a safe and clean environment. “

A Holiday Gift for Generations to Come

December 22, 2011 – 8:00 am Kathryn Alcantar

Crossposted from the Huffington Post.

The Miracle of Life:

When reading my Pregnancy Day-by-Day book this morning, I learned that the baby girl growing inside my womb has developed all of the eggs she will have in her lifetime. At 18 weeks, my daughter already carries within her tiny body the seeds of my grandchildren! While there’s no doubt that growing a human being inside your body is an amazing, powerful physical feat, it can also throw me into a panic. What if the chemicals I have been exposed to are passed on to my daughter and threaten her future reproductive and neurological development?

As a pregnant woman with a background in toxicology, I find myself already worried about the ubiquity of chemicals in our environment — knowing that I, like most Americans, have as many as 700 chemicals, including substances linked to serious health problems floating in my body — it’s hard not to be.

The Tragedies of Life:

I am the granddaughter of a farmworker who was exposed to pesticides most of his life and who battled both prostate cancer and lymphoma. I am also the niece of breast, cervical and prostate cancer survivors. Remember those eggs I mentioned earlier? It is likely that some of the chemicals in my body have the potential for generational impacts. So, it’s not just what I do that matters, but what my parents and grandparents did, or what chemicals they were exposed to.

I had looked forward to my first pregnancy as a sacred time when I could bask in simple joys, focusing on taking care of myself and my baby, and cooing lullabies to my daughter as I feel her kick from within. But that’s been stolen from me. Instead, I spend my time researching what furniture won’t release toxic VOCs into her nursery, what toys she can play with that don’t have lead, bisphenol-A or other hazardous chemicals since they will end up in her mouth. And I’m astonished at what I’m finding. How can I afford a $400 toxic-free crib mattress? More importantly, why should anyone even have to even think about this?

And so when my family asks me about gift ideas this holiday season, I have one simple reply: A toxic-free environment for my daughter. That’s it. That’s all I want.

But no one is going to give that to me. I have to fight for it.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime:

And the time is now. Next week, a key Senate committee will vote on the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011 — proposed legislation that will update the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), our main federal law regulating chemical hazards. Despite 35 years of advancements in science, technology and the introduction of thousands of new chemicals, with new and untested risks, TSCA that has not been updated since it was enacted in 1976.

We cannot afford to miss this critical opportunity.

This vote is about fundamentally changing a system that makes us, our children, and grandchildren guinea pigs in industry’s toxic experiments, the results of which may not be known for decades. It’s about taking the burden of proving harm off of the public (yes, that’s us taxpayers), and instead putting the burden on chemical manufacturers that profit from their products to demonstrate their safety. It’s about promoting transparency so we can know what chemicals are in the products (toys, shampoos, cosmetics, sofas, etc.) that we buy and use every day. Moreover, it’s about creating a system that rewards the innovation of safer chemicals and products, stimulating the economy while creating healthier products.

And by the way, this is not a partisan issue. All families, Republican and Democrat alike, care about the health and safety of their children. This vote is about saying YES to the basic human right to protect ourselves and our children.

So, before the vote next week, I am meeting with Senator Dianne Feinstein to ask for her support of this critical legislation. And I am not alone. I will be joining with thousands of other families across the country as they ask their Senators to vote YES, to ensure that not only their babies, children, and families are protected from toxic chemicals, but also future generations to come. Will you join me?

Avoid Greenwashed Holiday Items: Go Simple with Our Last Minute (Truly) Green Gift Guide

December 21, 2011 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

If your holiday shopping list still looks dauntingly long, and you’re sick of clicking through all those holiday guides, take our advice:  Go simple.

Going green is often about simplifying, not consuming more.  It’s about getting rid of the crap we accumulate in a responsible way, learning to make use of any waste we create, and only holding onto what’s really important—the stuff we really need, and will use, for years to come.

Below are a few valuable tips from CEH staffers that will inspire sighs of “finally-done-with-holiday-shopping” relief! more »