Laura Spark

Washington State Fastest Timeline Banning PFAS by 2025

April 8, 2022

Environmental Health News New Washington state bill is the “fastest timeline in the nation” for phasing out PFAS The bill aims to remove “forever chemicals” from many consumer products by 2025. Grace van Deelen A new Washington state bill, signed into law last Thursday by Gov. Jay Inslee, aims to phase out PFAS in select consumer products by 2025. It’s the “fastest timeline in the nation,” Laurie Valeriano, executive director of advocacy group Toxic-Free Future, told EHN. PFAS, which refers…

Burger King out of PFAS in packaging by 2025

April 8, 2022

Laura Spark

Mind the Store, PFAS

Burger King announces global ban of toxic “forever chemicals” in food packaging

Care about climate? Get PFAS out of food packaging

April 8, 2022

Laura Spark

Mind the Store, PFAS, Uncategorized

New investigation reveals U.S. chemical manufacturing facility released a potent climate pollutant equivalent to 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide in one year

Sierra Club: Keep PFAS out of your garden

May 27, 2021

Laura Spark

PFAS, Toxic Chemicals

5-25-21 In a just release report, Sierra Club and the Ecology Center tested fertilizer products made from sewage sludge, and found that all contained toxic PFAS, despite several brands being marketed as “eco” or “natural.”

The Infuriating Case of Toxic Chemicals in Breast Milk

May 27, 2021

Laura Spark

PFAS, Toxic Chemicals, Uncategorized

Sonya Lunder, Ms Magazine, Last week, pandemic-weary parents were hit with more heavy news: A scientific study reported toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals in milk from 50 Seattle area mothers. While none of the study participants lived in a known hotspot, each of the milk samples contained PFAS—which are known to impact the thyroid, immune system, reproductive system and are linked to several types of cancer.

Vermont Takes First in Nation Action on PFAS

May 14, 2021

Laura Spark

PFAS

May 11, 2021, Vermont Public Interest Research Group: “Today, the Vermont Legislature gave final approval to a nation-leading bill that would restrict the sale of consumer products that contain toxic chemicals known as PFAS. The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature. The Vermont Public Interest Research Group, Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), and Vermont Conservation Voters released the following statements in response. “The legislature has taken a major step forward to protect communities and firefighters from toxic forever…

TJX announces new chemical policy

February 9, 2021

Laura Spark

Mind the Store, Toxic Chemicals

TJX just announced a new chemical policy. The store will eliminate bisphenols from cash register receipts and ensure that all its compostable foodware in its corporate cafeterias is PFAS-free. They are engaging chemical policy experts to help them identify ways to get toxic chemicals out of the products they sell. We applaud TJX for moving forward on safety! https://iehn.org/resources/entry/tjx-announces-new-restrictions-on-toxic-chemicals

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

August 6, 2020

Laura Spark

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