Consumer Products

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) strongly supports legislation introduced today by U.S. Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and John Kerry (D-MA) that would overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The legislation, entitled the "Kids-Safe Chemicals Act of 2005," contains much-needed fundamental reforms of TSCA, the nation's notoriously weak chemical safety law. TSCA has not been reformed in nearly 30 years.

EPA ignored its own science panel's guidance and internal industry research with today's assessment of the human health risks from the Teflon chemical. EWG today criticized the EPA draft risk assessment on the toxic Teflon chemical, PFOA, as a post-elect

A full-page advertisement in USA Today challenges cosmetics companies to come clean about whether they plan to remove toxic chemicals that are banned in the European Union from products sold on American shelves. The advertisement was placed by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of US health and environmental groups.

The EPA today put back on track its review of a chemical used to make Teflon cookware. The chemical, known as C-8 or PFOA, is found in virtually all Americans' blood. The EPA's investigation had been derailed by DuPont and other corporate interests, according to researchers at EWG.

In the growing controversy over the toxicity and pervasiveness of a group of chemicals, the Environmental Working Group asked the CEOs of nine major fast food corporations — Burger King, KFC, Krispy Kreme, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Subway and Wendy’s — to disclose the use of these chemicals in their packaging. The chemicals — fluorinated telomers — can break down into perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is used to make Teflon. PFOA is toxic at low levels and is found in more than 90% of Americans.

DuPont has worked for years to avoid what US EPA began June 6, 2003. EPA is gathering public comments as a first step in determining how a Teflon chemical in use for 50 years has found its way into the blood of virtually every American.