Chemicals + Children’s Exposure = Obesity

Following up on the recent article in Environmental Health Perspectives which discussed endocrine disruptors that are sometimes added to PVC plastic cause mice to grow obese and suffer liver problems, Nicholas Kristof from the NY Times wrote a great opinion piece about why this is important. He also made a point about how journalist are missing these health related  stories which are important.

Read his article.

CHEJ has been working to clean up the toy and childrens/mothers consumer products for decades. It is time to move quicker we can’t just take off market one chemical/product at a time. Chemical Policy reforms must move faster in Washington, D.C.

NY PTA Passes Resolution to Phase-out PVC in Schools

The New York State Parents Teachers Association (PTA) voted last week at their annual meeting in Saratoga Springs, NY to pass a resolution calling for a phase out of the plastic PVC in schools. The resolution, called “Reducing & Phasing Out the Purchase of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Plastic in New York Schools,” acknowledged the serious harm posed by PVC throughout its lifecycle, releasing toxic chemicals such as phthalates during use in products such as school supplies and building materials; releasing toxic chemicals such as vinyl chloride and ethylene dichloride during manufacture; and generating toxic chemicals such as dioxins during disposal when burned.

The PTA’s resolution recognized that chronic health problems and conditions in children linked to environmental exposures are on the rise, including learning and developmental disorders; that children are uniquely vulnerable to harm from toxic chemicals such as those released by PVC; that PVC materials and products contain toxic additives, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and phthalates, that may be released into the indoor environment, posing hazards to human health including asthma and developmental problems and that children are at greatest risk of exposure; that PVC is commonly found in office supplies and building materials used in schools; that safer, cost-effective alternatives to PVC products are readily available for schools; and that the U.S. Green Building Council provides incentives for schools to avoid PVC and phthalates in “green schools.”

The NYS PTA resolution calls for the following actions:

• Resolved that the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers, Inc. seek and support legislation that would reduce and phase out the use of PVC products at all New York State school facilities; and be it further

• Resolved that the New York State PTA urge school districts and the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to develop green procurement policies to reduce and phase out the use and purchase of PVC building materials and office and education supplies in school facilities where safer cost effective alternatives are available; and be it further

• Resolved that the New York State PTA and its constituent units educate parents and community members about the potential health effects of PVC and work to eliminate PVC products at all PTA-sponsored events; and be it further

• Resolved that the New York State PTA forward this resolution to the National PTA for its consideration.

This resolution adds to the growing movement for PVC-free schools and follows similar resolutions enacted by the American Public Health Association (APHA), the “oldest and most diverse organization of public health professionals in the world,” last year and by the New York State United Teachers (NYSUT) union that represents more than 600,000 employees and retirees from New York State schools, colleges, and healthcare facilities, this past summer. The full PTA resolution can be read at the following link: http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/NYS-PTA-PVC-Resolution.pdf.

New Report: Hidden Toxic Chemicals Found in Children’s “Back-to-School” Supplies

Did you know toxic phthalates may be in your children’s back-to-school supplies?  Our brand new report, Hidden Hazards: Toxic Chemicals Inside Children’s Vinyl Back-to-School Supplies found toxic chemicals linked to asthma and birth defects widespread in children’s vinyl back-to-school supplies.

Seventy-five percent of children’s “back-to-school” supplies tested in a laboratory had elevated levels of toxic phthalates, including popular Disney, Spiderman, and Dora branded school supplies, such as vinyl lunchboxes, backpacks, 3-ring binders, raincoats, and rainboots.

The levels of phthalates found in children’s school supplies would be illegal if these products were toys. Just like toys, school supplies are used by young children that are uniquely vulnerable to chemical exposure.

Key resources for Hidden Hazards report:

• National News Release
• Hidden Hazards: Toxic Chemicals Inside Children’s Vinyl Back-to-School Supplies
• Executive Summary of the Report
• Photos of Children’s School Supplies Tested for Phthalates
• Downloadable web graphic announcing the report.

Find safer products for your children this back-to-school season!

The good news is there are plenty of safer alternatives available.  The 2012 Back-to-School Guide to PVC-free School Supplies, a guide to safer school supplies in over 40 product categories, was also released today to empower parents to find safer children’s back-to-school supplies:

• 2012 Back-to-School Guide to PVC-free School Supplies
• 2012 Back-to-School Wallet Guide
• We’ve created these downloadable web graphics promoting the Back-to-School Guide, which is great for posting on websites, blogs, and Facebook:
  • Graphic one
  • Graphic two
  • Graphic three
  • Graphic four

To download these web banners, first open them up by clicking on the links below, then, in your web browser, “right click” on the image and choose “save image as” or “save picture as”.  When you post them on your site, we recommend they link to http://bit.ly/nopvc12

Trace chemicals in everyday food packaging cause worry over cumulative threat

If the food’s in plastic, what’s in the food?

menshealth.com

By Susan Freinkel, The Washington Post

NYC: Phase Out Toxic PVC Plastic, a Major Source of Dioxin

For Immediate Release: Thursday March 29, 2012 Contact: Mike Schade, 212-964-3680, mike@chej.org

After Four Years of Delay, NYC Issues Landmark “Green Purchasing” Rules for City Agencies to Reduce Dioxin, One of the Most Toxic Chemicals Known to Science

Environmental, Public Health, Labor Groups Call on Bloomberg Administration to Phase Out Toxic PVC Plastic, a Major Source of Dioxin

(New York, NY) At a major public hearing held today by the NYC Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS), environmental health, labor, and pediatric medical organizations and experts testified and called on the Bloomberg administration to fully implemen t a “green purchasing” law 7 years in the making, by phasing out the purchase of toxic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/garymacfadyen

The NYC 2005 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) laws called for the development of City regulations to reduce the purchase of products by City agencies that release toxic dioxin when burned.   Dioxin is linked to cancer, learning disabilities, diabetes, birth defects, endometriosis, and infertility, and is widely considered to be the most toxic synthetic chemical. The 2005 law was intended to reduce NYC’s purchase of products containing PVC that form dioxin. After more than four years of delay, the EPP rules were released on February 27th, yet do not address NYC’s purchase of PVC products.

“We are very concerned that the proposed dioxin regulations do not address NYC’s purchase of PVC plastic, a major and preventable source of dioxin,” said Daniel Gradess, Organizer with the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ). “The New York Academy of Sciences and New York State Attorney General’s Office have both documented PVC as a significant dioxin source.  The Bloomberg Administration has an opportunity to lead the nation in reducing the purchase of this unnecessary toxic plastic harmful to children’s health.”

“Fire Officers take an oath to “protect the lives and property of the citizens of New York City” and there is an ongoing interest to the public if laws regarding the purchasing and use of PVC products by the city are not being complied with,” said Captain Alexander Hagan, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (UFOA). “PVC is among the most serious dangers to humans and the environment when it is burned.  It releases dioxin, which is widely considered to be one of the most toxic chemicals on the planet, and virtually every resident of NYC has measurable levels of dioxin in their bodies.  From a fire perspective, we urge compliance of the City to ensure an environmentally friendly purchasing process.”

Groups testifying at today’s hearing included representatives of the Learning Disabilities Association of NYS; Children’s Environmental Health Center of Mount Sinai School of Medicine; Sierra Club NYC Chapter; New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH); CWA Healthcare Coordinating Council; Perkins and Will Architectural Firm; the Center for Health, Environment & Justice; Center for Environmental Health; Ironbound Community Corporation; Food and Water Watch; and others.  Many other groups submitted written comments on the proposed regulations, including the Uniformed Firefighters Officers Association (UFOA); United Federation of Teachers (UFT); NYS Nurses Association (NYSNA); American Sustainable Business Council; the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest; Healthy Schools Network; NYPIRG; and Health Care Without Harm.

Safer, cost-effective alternatives are readily available for NYC agencies to purchase. Major corporations such as Google, Apple, Target, Wal-Mart, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, and Microsoft have policies to reduce or phase out the purchase of PVC.  The NYC Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) and Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) have both begun to make voluntary progress by reducing the purchase of PVC products:

• NYC purchases its computers off of state contracts, which require all computers to be free of PVC in large plastic parts.
• In January, MOCS announced it is working with Staples to reduce the purchase of PVC office supplies by City Agencies.
• In March, DCAS issued a request for bids for a new NYC carpet contract. This multi-year, multi-million dollar contract states that all carpets sold to NYC must be completely PVC-free.

Advocates today called on the Bloomberg Administration to codify these voluntary efforts into the proposed environmentally preferable purchasing regulations.

“The incidence of learning disability and related neurological impairment such as autism, is increasing at an unprecedented rate,” said, Stephen Boese, Executive Director of the Learning Disabilities Association of New York State. “Research shows that a substantial part of this increase is attributable to environmental factors.  Meanwhile, many chemicals known or suspected to cause neurological impairment remain largely unregulated by the federal government.  As advocates for persons with learning disabilities and related impairments, the Learning Disabilities Association of New York State supports initiatives that prevent disability.   We therefore urge that the City of New York assure that its purchasing policies excludes products with harmful plastics like PVC that release dioxin, wherever feasible, and protect the health and well-being of city workers, those in the care of city programs, and all other city residents.”

Jean Grassman, a Board Member with the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH), said, “When buildings containing materials made of PVC burn, firefighters, other “first responders”, building occupants, and the surrounding community face exposure to dioxins, benzene, phosgene, hydrochloric acid and other hazardous substances which place them at risk of acute and chronic health effects. Exposure to a single PVC fire can cause permanent respiratory disease.”

“It is our belief that products that are harmful to humans, animals, and the environment should not be used in our projects, and to that end, we advise our clients to seek alternatives to substances such as PVC,” said Peter Syrett, Architect and Associate Principal at Perkins+Will.

Larry McCormick is an officer of the CWA Healthcare Coordinating Council (HCC), a network for two dozen union locals in New York and New Jersey that represent 15,000 healthcare workers. He notes, “The HCC urges New York to phase out the purchase of PVC.  We put our patients first, and we believe a PVC phase out will help reduce cancer, learning disabilities, infertility, birth defects, and diabetes in those we care for.”

“Phasing PVC plastic out of City purchasing is the right move for New Yorkers’ health and environment,” said Irene Van Slyvke, Vice President of the Sierra Club New York City Group.  “We should act now to prioritize nontoxic, cost-effective alternatives to PVC, rather than continuing to pay for the healthcare costs associated with dioxin exposure.”

Ellen Weininger, Educational Outreach Coordinator for Grassroots Environmental Education, said, “The best way to avoid the negative human health and environmental impacts and economic burden of toxic exposures is to minimize the production and purchase of toxic products.  Children and their parents rely on government officials to provide the protections they need for their health and safety.  The stakes are too high to deliver anything less than the full implementation of a PVC-free procurement plan for New York City.”

“When buyers demand safer products, the market responds,” said Ansje Miller, Eastern States Director, of the Center for Environmental Health. “By phasing out the poison plastic PVC, NYC will create a global market for safer electronics and other products, creating a healthier environment for workers, consumers, and all New Yorkers.”

Claire Barnett, Executive Director of the Healthy Schools Network, said, “With every manufacturer advertising products as green, it is hard for cities and states to determine what is green and what is merely green washing. Mindful of the public health effects of chemicals in products and the rising epidemics of asthma and learning problems, we urge the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services to take more care to ensure that the products it specs are truly healthy and green. Relying on third party certifiers will do that.”

Thursday’s public hearing concludes a 30-day public comment period, and comes on the heels of a January 2012 NYC Council oversight hearing examining NYC’s compliance with the green purchasing laws.

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ATTENTION JOURNALISTS: For copies of testimony delivered at today’s hearing, or additional background information, please contact Mike Schade, CHEJ at mike@chej.org / 212.964.3680.

To download the NYC proposed environmentally preferable purchasing regulations, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycrules/downloads/rules/P_MOCS_2.24.12_A.pdf

To download the original legislation and 2005 City Council voting report that discusses the relationship between PVC and dioxin, visit http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/12-21-05-Voting-Report-Int-544-A-Hazardous.pdf

NYC’s Schools Plan to go Green in the Great Indoors

The city recently released 25 pages of proposed regulations that would impact construction, renovation and maintenance practices in hundreds of city-owned and -leased buildings and other spaces. The new rules require materials, supplies and equipment to be more environmentally friendly — either less toxic, more energy-efficient or more recycled. Read more.

CNN Spotlights Indoor Air Quality Impact on Student Learning

An estimated 14 million American children attend public schools that are in urgent need of  extensive repair or replacement and have unhealthy environmental conditions, including poor air quality, unsafe drinking water and inadequate safety systems. This weekend, CNN will spotlight the dire condition of schools and the health hazards posed by poor indoor air quality. [Read More]

CNN’s report on indoor air quality in schools airs on Saturday, January 14 at 8 p.m., 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. ET.  The program will re-air again at the same times on Sunday, January 15.

Visit CHEJ’s Focus on Schools webpage to get more information about threats to the school environment and how you can take action.

Contact Makia Burns, CHEJ’s Childproofing Our Communities Campaign Coordinator at (703) 237-2249 x21 or mburns(at)chej.org for additional information or organizing assistance.

SABOTAGE: They Cut Our Phone/Internet Lines But Not Our Dedication & Commitment

In case you missed my earlier communications, CHEJ was targeted by someone who wanted to do harm to our organization.  They broke into our office building around midnight and deliberately cut our phone and internet trunk cable during the last few days of the year, when our donors make their end of year contributions.  The police were called and the investigators agreed that someone had committed a crime.

This is not the first time CHEJ was a target.  You may have read the story about Greenpeace’s lawsuit filed this past October against two major chemical companies, their PR firms and several individuals for activities that amount to corporate espionage. Chemical companies Dow Chemical and Sasol (formerly CONDEA Vista), through the PR firms Dezenhall Resources (Nichols Dezenhall at the time) and Ketchum, hired private investigators from the firm Beckett Brown International (BBI) to spy on Greenpeace.

Within the documents Greenpeace found were photographs of my house and notes about my activities. It is very unnerving to know that someone is spying on you at home.  The Greenpeace suit charges the defendants stole thousands of documents, intercepted phone call detail records (CDRs), trespassed and conducted unlawful surveillance and theft of confidential information related to their public interest work.  The complaint charges that the chemical companies, PR firms and individuals “conspired to and did surveil, infiltrate and steal confidential information with the intention of preempting, blunting or thwarting” Greenpeace’s environmental campaigns.

CHEJ is not part of this lawsuit but clearly someone is trying to thwart our efforts.  The question is who?  Is it the toy/baby product manufacturers because we let consumers know about the poisons leaking from their toxic toys, baby bottles and other toxic baby merchandise?

Maybe it is the industries that are responsible for dioxin pollution as the scientific findings are scheduled to be posted later this month by EPA.  The industry has fought successfully for 25 years to keep adverse health findings from dioxin exposures of birth defects, immune suppression, infertility and diabetes from being finalized and public.  It could also be the companies who brought us PCB’s as CHEJ launches its campaign to get PCB’s out of school (built before 1979)  lighting fixtures.

What about the fracking industry they aren’t supporters of our work either.  Just a few days ago a well that took fracking wastes was closed in Ohio.  Activist believe if we close the injection wells in Ohio, then the fracking industry will have few places to go with their wastes significantly impacting their business.

CHEJ has many industries who would like to see us go away.  It’s not clear yet how many contributions we lost it might be as much as $20,000 however, some people said when they heard about the incidence they made a donation.  That’s a lot of money but it’s not enough to stop us from standing up and speaking out.  It’s not enough to deter us from helping others in the field to fight back against poisoning America’s families, homes, schools and communities.  CHEJ is back on line, back in the streets and holding polluters accountable.

Question for you is who do you think wants CHEJ gone?    Have  you had similar experiences?

APHA Calls for Phase Out of PVC

In a major coup for public health, the American Public Health Association (APHA) passed an important policy resolution at their annual meeting earlier this month. The resolution, Reducing PVC in Facilities with Vulnerable Population,” urges local, state and federal governments and decision-makers to consider phasing out the use and purchase of flexible PVC in building materials, consumer products, and office suppliers in schools, daycare centers, medical care facilities, nursing homes, public housing, facilities for special needs and the disabled, and other facilities with vulnerable populations when cost-effective alternatives are available.”

As a member of APHA, I contributed to this effort which addresses the hazards that PVC and phthalates pose to children’s health in schools, hospitals, daycare centers and other public institutions. This resolution by one of the largest associations of health professionals in the United States is an important new voice calling for government agencies to take action to address the risks posed by flexible PVC products. PVC is a plastic commonly found in building materials like flooring, carpeting, and roofing, as well as products that schools, hospitals and other institutions purchase such as computers, cell phones, backpacks, lunchboxes, 3-ring binders, IV bags, and other medical devices. Chemicals such as phthalates, which are added to make PVC soft and flexible, are released from these PVC products and pose avoidable public health risks. Phthalates have been linked to reproductive problems in a wide range of studies and have been restricted in toys in the United States.

APHA passes this resolution at a time when a growing number of leading businesses and healthcare institutions are supporting efforts to reduce the use of PVC.  Large corporations like Wal-Mart, Target, Apple, and Google have announced policies to reduce or phase out PVC in products and/or packaging.  Last month, the five largest healthcare purchasers in America, representing 1,100 hospitals with a purchasing power of over $130 billion, announced they will be asking suppliers whether or not their products contain toxic PVC plastic and phthalates.

The policy was enacted by the APHA in light of the widespread hazards flexible PVC poses to children other vulnerable populations through the release of hazardous chemicals such as phthalates, dioxin, and vinyl chloride.  Read the full text of the APHA policy statement.

See CHEJ’s press release. See what CNN had to say about this new policy.

Exxon Mobil: You Can’t Duck Reform!

This Thursday, CHEJ joined environmental health leaders, environmental justice organizers, and nurses from Alaska to Texas for a spirited rally outside of Exxon Mobil’s Houston corporate offices to demand an end to the poisoning of our communities and kids’ toys.  We blasted Exxon Mobil for blocking new restrictions on toxic chemicals that damage children’s health and pollute local communities.    Betty the Be Safe Ducky,  the symbol of phthalate-laden PVC toxic toys, made a special visit to Texas just for the occasion.

You can read our press release here, and media coverage in Forbes and the Houston Press. Check out this slideshow of pictures from the action:

Environmental Justice in Texas

For far too long, Exxon has been polluting communities around Texas with their toxic emissions.  Asthma afflicts nearly 1 million children in Texas and accounts for almost 200,000 hospitalizations a year. In the Houston-Galveston region alone, roughly 76,000 children suffer from asthma.

“Exxon’s petrochemical plants were built around historic communities of color, and now Texas and Louisiana families are suffering from illnesses, such as asthma and cancer, linked to the toxic chemicals they release,” explains Juan Parras of Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services.

Exxon’s Corporate Profits Over Children’s Health

In recent years, Exxon Mobil has been playing politics with our children’s health.  Exxon is the largest manufacturer of phthalates in the United States, and for years has been doing all they can to defend their dinosaur product line at the expense of our children’s health. How have they done this?

• In 2008, Congress banned toxic phthalates in PVC toys, which Exxon aggressively lobbied against.  The legislation set up a committee within the Consumer Product Safe Commission (CPSC) to review the hazards of some phthalates like DINP that were temporary banned in the legislation.  Ever since, Exxon has aggressively lobbied the federal government to overturn the ban on these toxic phthalates.
• Exxon has also worked to stall the EPA’s chemical action plan on phthalates, by lobbying the White House Office of Management and Budget, who has been reviewing the action plan for over 500 days now.  500 days!
• Even more recently, Exxon has been working to influence the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DFE) program to assess safer alternatives to phthalates.
• ExxonMobil also opposes Congressional approval of the Safe Chemicals Act of 2011, which would overhaul the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the nation’s broken chemical safety law that was last updated 35 years ago.

Rather than lobbying government officials to protect their corporate profits at the expense of children’s health, ExxonMobil should invest in safer chemicals that are healthier for children, workers and communities.

American Public Health Association and PVC

Thursday’s action comes on the heels of the American Public Health Association, one of the nation’s largest health associations, calling for a phase-out of phthalate-laden PVC in schools, daycare centers, hospitals, and other facilities with vulnerable populations.    The new policy focuses on PVC particularly because of the hazards of phthalates.  While Congress has banned phthalates in toys, they continue to be widespread in our nation’s schools and hospitals.

This resolution by one of the largest association of health professionals in the United States is an important new voice calling for government agencies to take action to address the risks posed by PVC and phthalates.

See what CNN had to say about this new policy.

Emerging science: PVC chemicals harmful to kids’ health

The science is clear.  Phthalates are harmful to children’s health, and phthalate-laden PVC products have no place in our nation’s schools or hospitals.

Will Exxon listen up?