The Issue
Chemical Policy
EWG is a leader in the effort to reform toxic chemical policy to ensure that all products are safe, especially for children. The government and consumers know little or nothing about of the safety of the the over 80,000 chemicals that can be used in consumer products.
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The Latest on Chemical Policy
A short clip from the video "10 Americans".EWG President Ken Cook, explains the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 and why reform is needed to help protect people of all ages, especially babies, from toxic chemicals found in consumer products.
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The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that furnishes health care benefits to veterans and their families made ill from polluted drinking water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina.
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Less than a year after the state of California banned baby bottles and sippy cups made with the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol-A, BPA, the federal government has followed suit.
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My kids eat more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches than I'd like to admit. And in my line of work I hear about toxic chemicals daily so it takes a lot to shock me. But, flame retardants in peanut butter? Even I paused when I saw the headline about a recent study that found that flame retardants - that stuff that's slathered on kids' pajamas, sofa foam and upholstery ostensibly to protect us from fires--are showing up in sardines, poultry and yes, even peanut butter.
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California Governor Jerry Brown took a stand for public health today by directing state agencies to revise outdated and unsupportable flammability standards.
Read MoreThe federal Food and Drug Administration has informed Rep. Edward M. Markey (D-MA) that it is beginning a process that could end the use of the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, in infant formula packaging.
Read MorePeople diagnosed with cancer after being exposed to toxic debris during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks should qualify for free treatment under the 9/11 victim compensation fund, federal health officials said last week.
Read MoreEven the asbestos industry has its defenders on Capitol Hill. Their support for the deadly carcinogen and the industries that use it was on display when the “Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2012” was introduced last month.
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Finding a nasty flame retardant in peanut butter and other food products brought EWG senior analyst Sonya Lunder to tell E&E reporter Jeremy Jacobs: "We are contaminating our food chain with chemicals that are long-lasting in the environment and harmful to our health. We need to stop this."
Read MoreDeSmog Blog published a piece last week about a new study linking in utero exposure to the notorious bisphenol-A to breast cancer.
Read MoreWhen I spoke with EWG senior analyst Nneka Leiba about this year's sunscreen database she had mixed feelings.
"On one hand, we can recommend 25 percent of sunscreens on the market," she said. "On the other hand, we can recommend 25 percent of sunscreens on the market."
After five years of advocating more effective and safe sunscreens, we're excited to see some progress in the marketplace. Last year we could recommend 20 percent of sunscreens, and the year before only eight percent. Why is that?
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Late Thursday EWG found out the Food and Drug Administration was going to delay their sunscreen regulations by six months, at the request of the cosmetics industry. EWG replied with a statement that called out the agency's foot-dragging and highlighted the disservice to consumers. USA Today, Forbes, Mother Jones, Los Angles Times and E&E News all ran stories.
Read MoreUnder pressure from two cosmetic industry groups, the Food and Drug Administration has decided to delay for six months implementation of pending regulations on how sunscreens are labeled and marketed.
Read MoreThe U.S. Department of Agriculture began testing fruits and vegetables for pesticide residues in 1991 after the public became concerned about their potential risks to children.
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Nicholas Kristof a columnist for The New York Times, has written about the expanding evidence that hypospadias and other birth defects in people and wildlife that may be linked to the daily bombardment of endocrine disruptors in household goods, pesticides and other man-made products.
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Last month, the New York Times published a story about my efforts when I was pregnant to rid my home of toxic chemicals. The story featured a photo of my 18-month-old daughter and recounted how I threw out a large pile of cosmetics, cleaners and other products that my research, using EWG's online Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, found to contain dangerous substances. While at the time I thought I was doing the right thing for my family, when I read readers' comments, I felt as if I were on Nickelodeon, in one of those scenes when an unsuspecting person has an entire bucket of green slime dumped on her head.
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An independent scientific panel approved by the DuPont company as part of a class action lawsuit has linked an industrial chemical known as C-8 or PFOA to kidney and testicular cancer in humans.
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California state scientists have found that some nail polishes widely used in California salons are laced with high levels of three chemicals linked to birth defects, asthma and other health risks.
Read MoreOnce again, the federal agency charged with protecting the public from tainted food has ignored a mountain of scientific research and decided to allow a toxic chemical to remain in food packaging. The federal Food and Drug Administration announced today it would not take immediate steps to bar Bisphenol-A, or BPA, a synthetic estrogen and plastics component, in canned food and liquid infant formula containers.
Read MoreThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today that 1 in 88 American children have an autism spectrum disorder, a 23 percent increase since the agency’s 2009 review.
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