Monthly Archive
Green Hospitals
By EWG
November 30, 2005
Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis, Ore., is leading the way in getting toxics out of hospital cleaning products – and finding, through the hospital's infection control department's surveillance, that green cleaners work just as well as harsh chemicals. The hospital has also started using recycled paper products, and plans to switch to a safer germicide to disinfect operating rooms, as well as to remove carpet to prevent PCPs and other chemicals from leaching into the air. Their efforts have been helped along by
Oregon Natural Step, which has a program that organizations can use to become safer and more sustainable.
The
Corvallis Gazette-Times has the article.
OSHA Outsources Worker Safety to Chemical Industry
By EWG
November 28, 2005
In
the latest example of industry riding roughshod over the government, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has entered into a so-called Voluntary Protection Program with the American Chemistry Council (ACC). OSHA was created because too many corporations are more interested in protecting their bottom lines than protecting workers in these highly toxic workplaces. The ACC represents the interests of companies like
Dupont and
WR Grace -- both of which were found by the EPA to have poisoned their employees and lied about it. EWG‚s
Chemical Industry Archives chronicle several companies' efforts to keep the hazards of their products a secret. The chemistry industry's press release is
here.
EPA Goes Cuckoo for Cocoa Powder Puffs
By EWG
November 10, 2005
There's no improving the headline of this Monday article from the
Corvallis Gazette-Times in Oregon, or their lead: "Those who wondered where the EPA under the Bush administration draws the line on tolerance for polluters have their answer: At the door of Chicago’s Blommer Brothers Co. chocolate factory."
This is a great, snarky article worth a read for anyone frustrated by the Bush administration's policy of "proportion and selective enforcement" for environmental regulations.
Avoiding Organic Milk Pitfalls
By EWG
November 9, 2005
This
New York Times article brings the tips on what to watch out for when buying organic milk. For example, while organic means that the cows weren't fed synthetic growth hormones, antibiotics or pesticides, the requirement that the animals have "access to pasture" is a standard that varies widely across companies. Pasteurized vs. ultrapasteurized and grain vs. grass are also under debate – all more evidence that as organic food increases in popularity, organic standards will come under increasing pressure from companies who want a piece of the market share without the added cost of adhering to stringent regulations.
Take a look at EWG's work on
organics and
pesticides.
Toxic Nation: Canadian BodyBurden
By EWG
November 9, 2005
Environmental Defence Canada has released "Toxic Nation" the first Canadian BodyBurden study, with 11 participants tested for 88 chemicals, including PCBs, fire retardants, PFOS (a chemical in the same family as the Teflon chemical PFOA) and heavy metals, all of which are suspected of causing cancer, birth defects, or reproductive or hormonal harm.
The subjects had an average of 44 chemicals in their bodies, and, as the director of the study said, "...it doesn't matter where you live, how old you are, it doesn't matter how clean living you are or if you eat organic food, or if you get a lot of exercise. We all carry inside of us hundreds of different pollutants and these things are accumulating inside our bodies every day." Health Canada promises to look into the issue.
The
Toronto Globe and Mail has the rest, and EWG's work on BodyBurden is available
here.
Covering Corn – We're All Doing It
By EWG
November 9, 2005
This year, the
New York Times reports, both farmers and the federal government are covering corn at potentially record levels. Farmers are struggling to store this year's bountiful corn harvest, even buying massive tarps to cover mountains of corn that must be left outdoors. Leftover grain from last year and the two Gulf hurricanes have also hurt farmers. For their part, taxpayers will be sending farmers extra subsidy money to compensate for the low corn prices that resulted from the full harvest.
EWG has tracked 10 years' worth of farm subsidies. Visitors to the site can view subsidy payments by name, town, zip code, county or congressional district at
http://www.ewg.org/farm.
Canada Bans Hair Dye Ingredient
By EWG
November 8, 2005
Lead acetate, an ingredient used in personal care products such as men's hair dye, has been banned in Canada over fears of cancer and reproductive toxicity. The chemical has been banned in Europe, and California considers it a carcinogen. Canadians' products must be free of the chemical by the end of 2006.
Read more about lead acetate at the
Ottawa Citizen, and learn more about what's in your own health and beauty brands with EWG's
Skin Deep.
For DuPont, $1B a Year Rides on Teflon
By EWG
November 7, 2005
DuPont disclosed in its SEC filing last week that the company earns $1 billion per year in revenues from the Teflon chemical PFOA or C8. Those revenues could be in danger if EPA decides to regulate the toxic chemical as a result of the agency's lawsuit against DuPont for withholding information about the Teflon chemical's health effects. DuPont also faces a criminal investigation involving the Teflon chemical, which is in the blood of 95 percent of Americans, never breaks down in the environment, and has been linked to cancer and birth defects.
The
Charleston Gazette article is here, but you'll need a subscription. EWG's work on the Teflon chemical is
here.
Pollution Costs Montana in Kids' Health Care
By EWG
November 7, 2005
The University of Montana has put out its annual Kids Count report for 2005, addressing child mortality, uninsurance rates, economic status and, for the first time, health care costs from environmental pollutants. Montana spends an estimated $400 million annually for kids with lead poisoning, asthma, cancer, birth defects and other disorders.
The full article is at the
Great Falls Tribune, and take a look at EWG's report on the costs of pollution in California,
Smoggy Schools.
"Low Mercury" Becomes Marketing Claim
By EWG
November 2, 2005
In the next logical step after some grocery chains voluntarily putting mercury warnings at their seafood counters, one company is now marketing low-mercury fish to consumers worried about its neurotoxic effects on infants and children. Micro Analytical Systems Inc. is working on a method that will allow seafood suppliers to test the levels in their fish, and has created a "Safe Harbor" label that uses a stricter standard than FDA's. A small chain in Northern California is going to start selling fish under the label early next year, and Whole Foods is considering it.
Story's at the
Wall Street Journal, so you need a subscription. EWG's work on mercury, which you can see for free, is
here.
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