The Issue
Phthalates
These endocrine-disrupting “plasticizer” chemicals are everywhere in modern society. EWG helped get several of them banned in children’s toys, but they are still widely used chemicals that pollute almost everyone’s bodies.
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The Latest on Phthalates
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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A quick spritz of air freshener may seem like a simple way to kill funky odors. Unfortunately, that pleasing smell is just more indoor air pollution.
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13 minute report on pthalates by 60 Minutes reporter (video).
Read MoreLaboratory tests commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and analyzed by EWG revealed 38 secret chemicals in 17 name brand fragrance products, topped by American Eagle Seventy Seven with 24, Chanel Coco with 18, and Britney Spears Curious and Giorgio Armani Acqua Di Gio with 17.
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The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, aimed at keeping lead and toxic plastic chemicals called phthalates out of children's toys, went into effect yesterday.
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National Research Council tells EPA: cumulative risk assessment of phthalates and other toxic chemicals is urgently needed A real victory for both human and environmental health has been achieved right at the end of the year, as the
Read MoreLaboratory tests reveal adolescent girls across America are contaminated with chemicals commonly used in cosmetics and body care products. Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected 16 chemicals from 4 chemical families - phthalates, triclosan, parabens, and musks - in blood and urine samples from 20 teen girls aged 14-19.
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Teenage girls across America are contaminated with hormone-altering chemicals found in cosmetics and body care products, confirms a new study released today by EWG.
Read MoreCongress has reached agreement on groundbreaking legislation to ban a family of toxic chemicals known as phthalates in toys and other children’s products.
Read MoreEWG's Renee Sharp testifies to the California state Senate about the need to remove BPA and lead from children's products.
Read MoreProtecting Public Health from Phthalates Will Require Consideration of Cumulative Risks
Statement of Olga Naidenko, Ph.D., Senior Scientist
Environmental Working Group
Read MoreEWG's response to a study appearing today in the journal Pediatrics showing for the first time that infants are exposed to potent reproductive toxins called phthalates from everyday baby products, including shampoo, lotion, and powder.
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To the National Research Council
Committee on the Health Risks of Phthalates
December 18, 2007
Read MoreEWG and East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) researchers analyzed samples of wastewater from residential, commercial, and industrial sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. 18 of 19 wastewater samples examined contained at least 1 of 3 unregulated, widely-used hormone disruptors – phthalates, bisphenol A, and triclosan; 2 samples contained all 3 substances. Despite sophisticated wastewater treatment, these chemicals were detected in treated waters discharged into the Bay.
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Question: I'm concerned about my 8-month-old daughter coming into contact with phthalates. Should I throw out any plastic toys, or are there some companies that don't use phthalates? Toy companies I've contacted have told me phthalates are harmless. Is this true?
Read MoreA major loophole in federal law allows fragrance manufacturers to hide potentially hazardous chemicals in product scents, including substances linked to allergies, birth defects, and even cancer. Because they won't tell you what's in the scents they sell you, we combed through thousands of Valentine's Day gift ideas to bring you products that not only smell great, but that are also free of hidden, potentially hazardous fragrances.
Read MoreIndustry and trade groups are suing to overturn San Francisco's newest ordinance aimed at protecting the city's toddlers from a suite of chemicals shown to cause cancer and hormone disruption in laboratory trials. The ban prohibits the sale and manufacture of toys and products intended for children under the age of 3, if they contain phthalates compounds used to soften plastics containing PVC and Bisphenol A.
Read MoreIn a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology, researchers watched levels of plasticizing chemicals called phthalates ("THAH-lates") rise and fall in breast milk over a six-month period.
Read MoreThe body burden ball just keeps getting bigger, this time with test results from 10 Washington residents, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition of Washington State tested for the usual suspects -- fire retardants, pesticides, mercury, lead and phthalates -- among others, and found five to seven of eight classes of chemicals in each participant.
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