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 »

A Lesson in Toxics – Why Banned PCBs are Cause for Concern in Schools

December 20, 2011 – 8:00 am Mary Brune

Penelope Jagessar-Chaffer (center) with daughter Oceana

Crossposted from Making Our Milk Safe (MOMS) blog.

When she first set out to learn what chemicals might be lurking in her body, mother-of-two Penelope Jagessar-Chaffer had no idea what she would discover. She was horrified to learn that PCBs, a group of flame retardant chemicals banned in the 1970s because of links to various health effects, were found in her body in greater amounts than any other type of chemical.

Almost 40 years after being banned, not only are PCBs still being found in people’s bodies, but they are present in some of the most unlikely places: our nation’s schools. Last week MOMS member Jagessar-Chaffer spoke at press conference on Women’s Reproductive Health joining other advocates in a call for the immediate removal of the PCB lighting fixtures found in nearly 700 NYC schools.

“We are dealing with an emergency situation and need to act swiftly,” Jagessar-Chaffer said. “Exposure to  PCBs affect almost every organ in your body and is especially toxic to the brain and the female reproductive system. If your child is exposed to PCBs, the long-term effects can be devastating.”

According to materials that support the campaign, there is enough scientific evidence to establish a relationship between prenatal PCB exposure and lowered IQ scores, as well as increased incidence of behavioral disorders,  thyroid dysfunction,  growth deficits (especially in girls),  decreased attention, alertness, and responsiveness in infants, and reduced immune function. more »

Ending the Toxic Shell Game

December 18, 2011 – 8:00 am Michael Green

Juilette Green, with brother Dylan in the cool shades

The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) held a gala celebration this past October 24 to mark our 15th anniversary of protecting children and families from harmful chemicals in our food, air, water and consumer products. I was honored and humbled at the support of more than 250 guests who attended the event, which was introduced by our Board Member Paul Adelstein and featured a panel of national business leaders speaking on energy and sustainability in the 21st century and a rousing game of “You Don’t Know Jack-The Bad, Bad Chemicals Edition.”

During the event, I spoke of the “corporate shell game” that companies have used for decades to evade strong health protections. Too often, when government regulators finally decide to restrict the use of a chemical that has long been linked to health problems, industry simply substitutes a new, untested substance, thus continuing to put our children and families at risk. For example, CEH is fighting the pesticide’s industry promotion of methyl iodide, a chemical they are marketing as a replacement for methyl bromide, which was banned only after decades of research, science and advocacy by public interest, science, health and environmental groups.

I told the audience at our event that there’s a new corporate shell game that CEH is aiming to stop. Many companies have recently begun to replace bisphenol-A ( BPA), a chemical that can mimic our bodies’ natural hormones. But not surprisingly, some are replacing the risky chemical with other untested chemicals that may also be hormone-altering substances. I announced that night our plan: to use research, testing, legal action and public advocacy to end the use of these hormone-altering chemicals in all children’s products. more »

December 15, 2011 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

Two of our stellar high school interns, Jenna Kim and Nolan Tonkyn, wrote about their experience working on the artificial turf testing project.  Check out their thoughts here:

It’s scary to think that I have been buying products without really knowing what dangerous chemicals are included in its makeup. By being involved in the artificial turf lead testing project at CEH, I was able to help schools and child care centers in California by informing them about the potentially-hazardous lead problems in some artificial turf installations.  As I kept calling school supervisors who said that their sites did not have turf, I felt better knowing that the children  at these schools are not bring exposed to such potential lead hazards.  For the schools that do have turf, it was comforting to know that they would be able to work with CEH to resolve the problem.

I am very glad that there is an organization like CEH that is here to give back to the surrounding community, making sure everyone has the right to live in a safe and clean environment.  It was a pleasure interning at such a great organization.  more »

Holiday Shopping, the Smart Way

December 12, 2011 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

CEH has worked hard for 15 years, wiping lead-tainted toys off store shelves and cleaning up the consumer products industry, eliminating lead, cadmium, and other toxics from the products that we buy every day.

One of our largest, most far-reaching accomplishments so far has been eliminating lead from children’s toys across the country.

Though we’ve made sure most toys on the market are safe, it’s still a good idea to avoid certain kinds of materials to ensure that the toys you buy for your family are lead-safe. more »

Watch: The Misclassification in Port Trucking

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

 “I’m classified as an independent contractor, but I have very, very little control over the success or failure of my company.”

-Dutch Prior, Port Truck Driver

Part of CEH’s Safe Air, Water and Food campaign is the Coalition for Clean and Safe Ports—fighting to restore stability to our Ports’ system and improve air quality in low-income communities communities of color.  Last week, CBS did a great news segment on the issue of misclassification in ports trucking.  The video features Dutch Prior, a port driver for Shippers Transport in Oakland.  Prior discusses the issue of trucking companies cheating their employees by misclassifying them as independent contractors, thereby stripping them of their rights, ensuring that the companies do not have to cover benefits, sick days, bereavement leave time, or holiday pay.  It’s a greedy tactic that serves to pad trucking companies’ bottom line, at the cost of fair worker wages and benefits.

Worse yet, the current system of inadequate regulation and lax enforcement of environmental and labor laws have made America’s ports look like a Third World country.  The EPA estimates 87 million Americans live and work in these port regions, where federal air quality standards are violated due to high diesel soot exposure that puts them at grave risk for asthma and deadly illnesses like cancer, heart, and lung disease.

To protect families and workers, these dirty diesel rigs need to be replaced with cleaner, more efficient parts and cared for with proper maintenance.  But with trucking companies taking advantage of truck drivers by misclassifying them, the truck drivers are forced to pay out of their own pockets for the retrofits and maintenance!

It’s outrageous.

The global shipping and trucking industry must pay to clean up their dirty diesel mess! more »

Greenwash of the Month: Chemical Industry Front-Groups You Should Know About

December 5, 2011 – 8:00 am Ali Geering-Kline

The chemical, pesticide, and other industries have a long history of using their lobbyists and public relations firms to create industry front groups.  These front groups are paid to serve as purported independent analysts, while in reality they are nothing more than undercover proxies for dirty industries. Industry needs these phony front groups because public awareness of their history of crimes and lies means no one trusts their claims about their products’ safety or benefits.

So, when studies pile up about harmful chemicals that threaten our health, chemical companies point to their front groups’ “independent” reports that show the opposite. The front groups don’t need much evidence for their claims – they need just enough to create a smidgen of doubt, and to give reporters a story with conflict. As Anna Lappe describes in her book, Diet for a Hot Planet, the food industry (like other industries) learned its tactics from the tobacco industry.  She cites a 1969 tobacco industry internal memo, that stated: “Doubt is our product.  It is the best means of competing with the ‘body of fact’ that exists in the minds of the general public.  It is also the means of establishing a controversy.”
As front groups continue to rely on these tactics, it’s important to remain skeptical.  We’ve written about some front groups before (including some that defend the plastics industry and others). But recently, we noticed that there are three front groups that have been particularly active in promoting and defending three toxic chemicals that CEH has been focusing on:: bisphenol-A (BPA), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and methyl iodide (MeI).

Below is a rundown of these three front groups, to keep you aware and informed about some of their sneaky tactics.  more »

Watch: CEH in the Next 15 Years

December 2, 2011 – 11:09 am Ali Geering-Kline

Missed out on CEH’s 15th Anniversary in October?  Check out the highlights from our event and get inspired by CEH’s plans to “end the toxic shell game”.  The “toxic shell game” is a game that the chemical industry plays with our health: when they are faced with increasing pressure to eliminate a harmful chemical, the industry often simply substitutes a less well-studied chemical, or worse, one that is known to be harmful but has yet to be tightly regulated.

In the next 15 years, CEH will work with business leaders, pressure companies, write policy, organize mothers and others, and use cutting edge science to stop companies from going from one harmful chemical to the next.

Watch event highlights:

 

See photos, and more videos from our 15th Anniversary Celebration here.