ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
Join EWG's live chat with Chef Ann Cooper
School lunch: More fruits & veggies, please!
Texas Schools are Drilling for Dollars
Why do blowouts take so long to fix?
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Support the 2010 Safe Cosmetics Act. It's Urgent.
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Cell phone radiation series - Part 2: 8 Ways to reduce your exposure
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips for Parents: The Series
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
« The chemical industry's war on California toxics reform | Main | Carbon sequestration: Bubbly water for everyone! »
Imagine a tangled toxic mess
Imagine a flame-retardant chemical so clearly toxic that the National Cancer Institute, the World Health Organization and the Consumer Product Safety Commission all consider it harmful. Enough studies document its link to cancer that manufacturers no longer use it in children's pajamas. It's also clearly linked reproductive and developmental problems in lab animals.
Now imagine -- and this probably won't be hard -- that the government still allows this chemical to be produced, and manufacturers use it increasingly in a wide variety of products, from couches to baby carriers, and that the EPA's website only lists studies by the chemical industry, only one of which was peer-reviewed or published. Imagine that all of those studies say the flame retardant is safe. (Try to imagine that you're surprised.)
So you're imagining a toxic chemical that's being used widely in consumer products, and you're probably thinking that your imaginary self would want to avoid it. Wish her good luck, and then imagine this: there's essentially no way to avoid it, not only because products that contain it aren't labeled, but because not even manufacturers know when this risky chemical is being used.
The chemical is real, and it's called chlorinated Tris. Angry? I imagine you are. I know I am. Chlorinated Tris is one of 80,000 reasons that we need a new chemical regulatory law.
Photo: Cutest Baby Ever by Call It Crazy.
Leave a comment