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Chemicals in Food
Foods can contain many harmful substances, including pesticides, unhealthy additives or contaminants. EWG is working to reduce the threat of toxic chemicals in food.
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The Latest on Chemicals in Food
The magazine Consumer Reports is warning pregnant women not to eat any tuna at all because the government can't assure us that even supposedly-safe light tuna won't contain excessive levels of mercury, which harms developing brains.
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According to a Consumer's Union study, canned tuna is off the menu for pregnant women due to elevated levels of mercury commonly found in the product. The report follows a 2005 Chicago Tribune investigation that shed light on the inclusion of high mercury species in canned tuna.
Read MoreToday FDA announced it found high levels of benzene in several samples in a test of a small number of sodas and juice drinks.
Read MoreA California Superior Court judge has overturned a ruling requiring tuna companies to brand their cans with mercury warning labels under the state's Prop 65 legislation.
Read MoreThe beverage industry has conceded to remove high-calorie soft drinks from schools. They will, however, be continuing to sell diet sodas and fruit drinks, which contain fewer calories and less sugar.
Read MoreThe House votes today on a bill pitting giant food companies against the health and safety of American families—a measure that could nullify state laws warning consumers about mercury in fish, lead in candy, arsenic in bottled water, benzene in soft drinks and dozens of other dangers.
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Today the Environmental Working Group (EWG) sent a letter to the FDA requesting that the Agency notify the public about the presence of two ingredients in many popular children's drinks that can mix together to form the cancer-causing chemical benzene.
Read MoreThe Chicago Tribune is running a powerful series this week on mercury in seafood, including test results for eight different kinds of fish purchased in Chicago-area fish markets and supermarkets.
Read MoreJust before hunting season opens in Utah, state officials are warning hunters not to eat two types of ducks that feed on Great Salt Lake marhes because tests on the animals show dangerous levels of mercury in their flesh.
Read MoreThe Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin reports on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study that shows that U.S. women living near a coast have higher levels than women living inland.
Read MoreTwo national environmental organizations, Environmental Working Group and Beyond Pesticides, joined today with the Fluoride Action Network in challenging the safety of new food tolerances issued by the EPA for the fluoride based pesticide, sulfuryl fluoride.
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As an update to last week's post on high mercury levels in supermarket tuna samples, the Eugene Register-Guard provides incentives for eating locally-caught fish: lower mercury, higher omega-3s and support for community businesses.
Read MoreAP reports that University of North Carolina tests in 21 states found average mercury levels in tuna and swordfish at 1.1 parts per million, over the government's limit of 1 ppm. The samples came from supermarket chains, including Safeway and Whole Foods, and some groups are pushing for supermarkets to include warning signs with their seafood displays.
Read MoreIn the past week, activists have pressed Teflon maker DuPont to clean up its act on two fronts. Environmental groups demanded that the company monitor groundwater around its local plant, the only one in the US that makes this indestructible, cancer-causing chemical, and the steeworkers' union urged carpet and clothing retailers and fast food companies to warn consumers that their products may be coated with chemicals that break down into DuPont's toxic Teflon chemical.
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Scott Canon's front-page Kansas City Star story shows many ways our food choices make political, health and environmental statements. EWG's food research has contributed to the debate.
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Fresh wild salmon is gaining popularity over its farmed cousins for its leaner, tastier, less chemically-laden qualities, but recent studies from the New York Times reveal that even if stores say it’s wild, safety-conscious consumers may be paying top dollar for exactly the fish they’re trying to avoid.
Read MoreCalifornia will keep its recommendation for the legal limit of the toxic rocket fuel chemical perchlorate in drinking water at 6 parts per billion (ppb), despite EPA levels set over four times higher, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. California’s level takes into account rocket fuel exposure from multiple sources, including milk, lettuce and other foods. It was adjusted to protect the most sensitive populations, including pregnant mothers, infants and children.
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In the wake of weak mercury pollution standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency last week, The Washington Post reported that the EPA failed to include findings from their own study showing stricter protections on mercury emissions benefit human health.
Read MoreThe Bush Administration says it will allow coal-burning power plans and other mercury polluters to trade emissions allowances, rather than requiring each facility to meet stricter standards. The cap-and-trade policy allows facilities in mercury “hot spots” to continue emitting high amounts of mercury.
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