The Issue
Arsenic
A known human carcinogen, arsenic is a common contaminant in food and water. It was also used in virtually all pressure-treated wood products before EWG helped get it off the market.
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The Latest on Arsenic
Although scientists and government regulators have long known about the ever-present threat of arsenic in our diet and water, it was unsettling when two major reports came out on the same day (Sept. 19) reminding us of the risk of arsenic in foods, particularly rice.
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Two reports out today from the federal Food and Drug Administration and Consumer Reports magazine showing that a number of popular rice-based foods are contaminated with arsenic, a known human carcinogen, Environmental Working Group offers several easy-to-use tips on how to reduce your dietary exposure.
Read MoreThe federal Environmental Protection Agency's detection of arsenic, a known human carcinogen, barium and other contaminants in the well water of homes near natural gas drilling operations in Dimock Township, Pennsylvania, should prompt a nationwide investigation of drilling-linked water pollution.
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Did you think you were eating a carcinogen along with your favorite chicken sandwich last week? Probably not, but a new Food and Drug Administration study has found arsenic in chickens treated with 3-Nitro® (also known as Roxarsone), a commonly used, arsenic-based animal drug.
Read MoreEWG explains why decks, picnic tables, and wooden playsets older than 5 years old might be dangerous to you and your family, and what you can do about it.
Read MoreOn January 19, EPA will decide whether or not to allow unrestricted use of the potent human carcinogen chromium-6 in a wood preservative known as ACC (acid copper chromate), for lumber sold at the nation's hardware and home improvement stores.
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Community groups in San Francisco are testing the city's playgrounds for deadly arsenic, which can leach off of treated wood play structures onto the skin and clothing of children. The City has plans to replace all of the 70's-era structures as funds become available, but in the meantime the city has been sealing them every two years in an effort to prevent arsenic from leaching out of the wood.
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Autism: The continuing debate over whether vaccines play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders is more than academic, with children's health and industry wealth hanging in the balance. British billionaire Sir Richard Branson said yesterday he plans to invest $3 billion in technologies to help combat global warming. The investment, valued in 2006 dollars, will be made over the next 10 years in biofuels and other environmentally friendly ways to replace oil and coal.
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The 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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Commissioner Thomas Moore of the federal government's Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) shares Environmental Working Group's (EWG) concern that children playing on decks, play sets and other structures made of arsenic-treated lumber may develop cancer later in life from arsenic that rubs off the wood and sticks to children's skin.
Read MoreThe international mining giant, Denver-based Newmont Mining Corp., is under fire for dangerously polluting Indonesian communities in violation of US environmental standards. Now, an Environmental Working Group (EWG) search of US government electronic records it has posted on its web site (www.ewg.org/mining/) shows the company holds more acres of mining claims on Western public land than any other metal mining company. Newmont holds 347,458 acres of claims in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Washington.
Read MoreDecember 3-5, 2003
Jane Houlihan
Vice President for Research
Environmental Working Group
Washington DC
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released the most comprehensive study to date of the health risks of arsenic-treated wood, which has been used for decades to build decks, playsets and other outdoor structures in backyards and parks nationwide.
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Testimony before the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Jane Houlihan
Vice President for Research
Environmental Working Group
Washington DC
The Environmental Working Group today asked the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to ban the use of arsenic-treated wood in outdoor play structures and to order consumer refunds for millions of playsets nationwide, based on a new round of laboratory tests that found high levels of arsenic contamination even on older pressure-treated wooden structures.
Read MoreResults from the largest–ever testing program for arsenic–treated wood, released today by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), show that the public remains at risk from high levels of arsenic leaching out of pressure–treated wood in older decks, playsets, and picnic tables.
Read MoreThe Environmental Working Group (EWG) today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for standing up to the chemical and wood treatment industries by forcing the phase-out of arsenic-treated lumber.
Read MoreNationwide sampling in 13 metropolitan areas found harmful levels of cancer-causing arsenic on the surface of "pressure-treated" wood purchased at Home Depot and Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouse stores, according to a report released today.
Read MoreView and Download the report here: The Poisonwood Rivals
Read MoreView and Download the report here: All Hands on Deck
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