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Ban Flame Retardants
Chemical flame retardants are in sofas, mattresses, strollers, car seats, nap mats, electronics, and many other items. Over time, they get out of furniture and into our bodies, where they increase the risk of cancer, neurodevelopmental problems, and other harm. Thirteen states have banned chemical flame retardants, and it is time that Massachusetts joined them.
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Get PFAS out of food packaging
PFAS are a class of chemicals used to make products non-stick, water-resistant, and stain proof. For over 50 years, PFAS have been added to a wide variety of products, like non-stick cookware, fire fighting foams, clothing, carpets, and food packaging. These chemicals are in the blood of every American who has been tested. Low levels of PFAS have been shown to cause harm to animals, people, and the environment.
We Should Know
What toxic chemicals are in your child’s toys? Or in the plastic balls at the day care center? What’s in your mattress? Or the shampoo you use? Manufacturers don’t want to tell us, but we should know if carcinogens and other toxic chemicals are in the products we use every day. Washington State requires manufacturers to report on the toxic chemicals added to children’s products. Don’t Massachusetts parents deserve the same right to know?
Mind the Store
Consumers have the power to demand safer products. We work with the national Mind the Store campaign to push big box retailers to get toxic chemicals out of their products. Staples, TJX Corporation, and Stop & Shop are all based in Massachusetts, and we’re leading the effort to get these major retailers to sell safer office supplies, furniture, clothing, and food.
Staples announces new chemicals policy
Staples launches new policy to drive toxic chemicals out of office supplies, electronics, textiles, and other products
What are PFAS and should I be freaking out about them?
WBUR’s Senior Enviromental Reporter Barbara Moran explains what you need to know about PFAS, a class of thousands of chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment and harmful in very small quantities. Read WBUR’s article on PFAS.
Toxic sludge from MWRA spreading PFAS throughout New England
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has been selling its sludge for the past 30 years, piping biosolids to a Quincy wastewater treatment plant that dries out the slurry and packages it into bags of Bay State Fertilizer. MWRA sells and donates this fertilizer to farms, golf courses, and other properties throughout New England. On December 1, 2019, The Boston Globe reported that MWRA tests, conducted last March, found PFAS chemicals at levels of 18,000 per trillion. PFAS chemicals are a…
Toxic Hall of Shame
If you are sipping coffee at Starbucks, nibbling on McNuggets, or picking up a sweaters at Marshall’s, you are shopping at one of the retailers that earned an “F” in Mind the Store’s recently released 2019 Retailer Report Card. Fourteen brands earned this grade for their failure to make even the most basic commitments to removing toxic chemicals from their products and packaging. This is the 4th year the Mind the Store has released its report card, which evaluates store…
