Laura Spark

CNN: “Toxic Chemical May be in Food Wrapper & Take out Containers, Report Says”

August 6, 2020

Mind the Store, State Campaigns, Toxic Chemicals

(CNN)What’s the first thing you should worry about when you look at the packaging on your fast food or takeout? No, it’s not Covid-19 — science assures us the risk of catching the novel coronavirus that way is miniscule. Worry instead about the toxic chemicals coating the wrappers of your fast food burger or your molded-fiber container full of salad or veggies, says a new report by environmental advocacy groups Toxic-Free Future and Mind the Store. It’s a campaign run by Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families to…

Common fire retardants killing firefighters UVic report says

June 11, 2020

Laura Spark

Flame Retardants, State Campaigns, Toxic Chemicals

by Stephen Hume, Vancouver Sun, May 15, 2020 Flame retardants routinely added to common household products are killing firefighters, putting children and pregnant women at risk and contaminating the environment while not significantly improving safety, says a new report.Raising the Alarm: The Case for Better Flame Retardant Regulation in Canada was prepared by the University of Victoria’s Environmental Law Centre for Local 730 of the International Association of Fire Fighters, which represents firefighters at the Victoria Fire Department. It surveyed…

Staples announces new chemicals policy

December 1, 2019

Laura Spark

Flame Retardants, Mind the Store, Toxic Chemicals

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?

December 1, 2019

Laura Spark

State Campaigns, Toxic Chemicals, Uncategorized

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

December 1, 2019

Laura Spark

State Campaigns, Toxic Chemicals

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

November 29, 2019

Laura Spark

Uncategorized

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…