Press Releases
FDA Urged to Rule on Controversial Hand Soap Ingredients
September 17, 2024
A new letter from the Green Science Policy Institute and Earthjustice, co-signed by more than 40 environmental and health organizations, urges the Food and Drug Administration to finalize its decision on whether it will continue allowing the use of three antimicrobial chemicals in over-the-counter hand and body washes. The agency was due to make its decision eight years ago but deferred at the request of manufacturers and their trade association. During this delay, evidence has grown on the health harms—but not the effectiveness—of these chemicals.
Blumenthal Leads Bipartisan Letter to Get Carcinogens Out of Cars
August 7, 2024
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Representatives Morgan Griffith (R-VA) and Doris Matsui (D-CA) sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today calling for an update of the agency’s 1971 vehicle flammability standard. The standard leads car manufacturers to add flame retardant chemicals—including those known or suspected to cause cancer—to seat foam and other materials. It also has no demonstrated fire-safety benefit.
Study: You’re Breathing Potential Carcinogens Inside Your Car
May 7, 2024
The air inside all personal vehicles is polluted with harmful flame retardants—including those known or suspected to cause cancer—according to a new peer-reviewed study published in Environmental Science & Technology. Car manufacturers add these chemicals to seat foam and other materials to meet an outdated federal flammability standard with no proven fire-safety benefit.
Scientists Successfully Head Off Concerning PFAS Bill
February 26, 2024
The Indiana State Senate tabled legislation that would have significantly narrowed the scope of which fluorinated chemicals are considered per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” in the state. This comes after leading scientists who study PFAS testified in committee hearings that the proposed definition was not scientifically sound. Adding weight to their objection was a consensus statement signed by more than 150 scientists clarifying the need for accurate and thorough PFAS definitions that government agencies and legislatures should use.
Map: Wildlife Polluted by Flame Retardants on Massive Scale
October 18, 2023
More than 150 species of wild animals across every continent are contaminated with flame retardant chemicals, according to a new map tracking peer-reviewed research worldwide. Polluted wildlife include killer whales, red pandas, chimpanzees and other endangered species. Added to furniture, electronics, vehicles, and other everyday products to meet flammability standards, the chemicals often do not work as intended. They also migrate out of products and into wildlife—and people.
Gov. Newsom Signs No Toxics Tent Act
October 16, 2023
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 267, The No Toxics Tent Act. The legislation fixes an outdated flammability code that has led to the addition of unneeded and harmful flame retardants to camping tents and children’s play tents and tunnels.
Analysis: Most Research on PFAS Harms Is Unpublicized
July 18, 2023
Though per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) make headlines daily, a new paper reveals that most studies finding links between PFAS exposure and human health harms are published without a press release and receive little or no media coverage. The peer-reviewed analysis, published today in the journal Environmental Health, found that studies without any press attention receive fewer scholarly citations as well.
Scientists Raise Concerns About Popular COVID Disinfectants
May 9, 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the unnecessary use of antimicrobial chemicals linked to health problems, antimicrobial resistance, and environmental harm, warn more than two dozen scientists in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science & Technology. Their critical review details how quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are increasingly marketed and used in home, healthcare, education, and workplace settings despite the availability of safer alternatives and in some cases limited evidence of reduced disease transmission.
Study Finds Harmful PFAS Don’t Actually Prevent Furniture Stains
April 4, 2023
The health and environmental harms of PFAS are well-known, but a new peer-reviewed study calls into question their touted stain-fighting benefits. Researchers tested the performance of PFAS finishings on furniture fabrics and found that they had limited to no effectiveness, particularly under real-world conditions.
Scientists Advise a Major Shift in Chemicals Management in the U.S. and Canada
January 19, 2023
A new approach can help governments and businesses eliminate harmful chemicals from daily use and exposure, according to a paper published in Environmental Science & Technology. It’s a simple concept, but a drastic departure from the status quo of chemicals management in the U.S. and Canada.
116 Scientists Reject WHO’s Draft PFAS Guidelines
November 10, 2022
More than 100 scientists sent a letter to the World Health Organization today urging a complete overhaul or withdrawal of the organization’s draft drinking water guidelines for the two most well-studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The letter details how WHO’s draft eschews calculating health-based standards, disregarding robust evidence for the harms of PFOS and PFOA. The letter also notes the lack of transparency about the draft’s authorship.
High Levels of PFAS Detected in School Uniforms
September 21, 2022
Millions of schoolchildren in the U.S. and Canada are exposed to potentially harmful levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) everyday through their uniforms, according to our new joint study. We detected PFAS in all the “stain-resistant” school uniforms we tested from nine popular brands. Most products had concentrations as high as those in outdoor clothing.