Non-Toxic Avenger Babies *with a little help from WVE’s Director of Development Sara Close

Maggie here, with my best friend, Emma. We’re the Non-Toxic Avenger Babies, reporting for duty to make a stink about SC Johnson’s stinky secrets.

It’s been two weeks already, and every day we’ve seen our photos being shared left and right on our mommies’ Facebook feeds – nearly 3,000 shares! The cat’s out of the bag: “Something Stinks” about SC Johnson’s air freshener, Glade.

Because you’ve been involved in WVE campaigns for a while (and if this is your first campaign with us – buckle your car seats!), you know we’re just heating up. And SC Johnson knows it, too.

But hold up for just a second! In order to get this campaign full speed ahead, would you donate $5 to help amplify our Glade campaign through social media?

Your donation is really needed to set some things straight over at the SC Johnson headquarters. If you’ve seen this commercial, you’ve heard the tune:

“SC Johnson isn’t just a company – it’s a family that cares about yours. That’s why we’re working to share all of our ingredients, right down to the fragrances and dyes […] so you know what you’re bringing in to your home.”

So, you’d think listing all fragrance ingredients would be a piece of cake, right?

Wrong. SC Johnson’s only response has been: “Consumers have a choice whether or not to buy products that contain fragrance.” Translation: “Don’t like it? Tough.”

(I’m sorry… What was that part about being a family that cares about mine?)

It’s time to move this campaign up a notch. Last week, we launched a caption contest with our newest image to answer the question: “What would Baby Maggie say to Glade about the fact that they won’t tell her what’s in fragrance?” With these new (and funny!) images, we want to reach a total of 10,000 image shares and 2 million impressions to show SC Johnson we’re not backing down.

Help us out by pitching in: just $5 – or more – helps us invest in communications and technology to move this campaign far and wide.

We have a right to know what’s in the products we’re bringing into our homes, spraying in the air that we breathe, landing on the surfaces that we touch, and settling into the dust at our feet.

Help us expand our reach with a donation today!

Britta Aragon Creator & Founder CV Skinlabs

If I gave you an apple coated in formaldehyde, would you eat it?

Of course not. Yet many of us apply potentially dangerous chemicals like formaldehyde to our faces and bodies every day, increasing the odds that they will penetrate the skin and do damage inside us.

This is just as crazy as eating a formaldehyde-coated apple. It’s time to stop.

Cancer on the Rise

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there will be about 20 million new cases of cancer a year worldwide by 2030—up 12 million a year from now.

A May 2010 report by the President’s Cancer Panel noted, “the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated. With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied and largely unregulated, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.”

We are bombarded by chemicals everywhere we turn—that’s why I refuse to use anything linked to cancer, health problems, or skin irritation in my CV Skinlabs products.

Irritated by Toxins

Many of you may know that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease when I was 16 years old. Later, my father developed colon cancer. There had been no cancer in our family, so we were both surprised, to say the least, by these diagnoses.

Later, when my father was going through chemotherapy, I bought him a high-end, sensitive cream to treat a painful, red rash he had on his face. The cream caused more irritation and burning, which shocked me. I started to research the ingredients, and was dismayed to find some that were linked not only with irritation, dryness, and inflammation, but even cancer.

I wondered then—what was going on?

Chemicals Inside Us

I started researching ingredients used in common personal care products. Here’s just a sample of what I found:

• Phthalates, a plasticizing chemical found in hairsprays and nail polishes, were found to be widespread in the American population by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Worse, the organization stated that adult women had higher levels of those phthalates found in soaps, body washes, shampoos, cosmetics, and similar personal care products. Phthalates have been linked with early onset menopause, childhood asthma, and diabetes.

• Synthetic fragrances, used in most personal care products, were found in the blood samples of teenage girls in a 2009 study by the Environmental Working Group. The blood samples also contained parabens and triclosan.

• 1,4-dioxane, a probable carcinogen produced as a byproduct of manufacturing, is found in laundry products, household cleaning products, children’s bath and personal care products, and more. The Organic Consumers Association notes that when animals were tested with this chemical at the lowest parts-per-billion level over their lifetimes, they developed cancer.

• Formaldehyde, a preservative and by-product of manufacturing found in baby bath products, eyelash extensions, air fresheners, and nail polishes, is a known carcinogen. A National Cancer Institute Study found that workers with the highest exposures were 37 percent more likely to die from blood or lymphatic cancer, and 78 percent more likely to die from myeloid leukemia.

• Parabens, used as preservatives, have been found in studies to gather in breast tissue, often in areas of the breast attacked by cancerous tumors. Additional studies are needed, but these results are concerning.

• Talc, a mineral widely used as talcum powder, and also found in antacids, pesticides, some deodorants, cosmetics, and baby powders, has been linked with ovarian cancer.

This Doesn’t Make Sense

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Sulfates, used in most skin and hair care products, are harsh and corrosive and can cause dryness and flaking. Lead has been found in 61 percent of lipsticks tested by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Chemical sunscreens are known hormone-disruptors, and may even encourage the formation of damaging free radicals.

The more I learn about what we’re applying to our faces and bodies every day, the more I’m committed to offering a better option to my customers. According to a study by Bionsen, a product company in the U.K., the average woman applies about 515 chemicals to her face every day. How can that be good for us?

We have enough health challenges in life without adding to our risk every time we apply a moisturizer or mascara. I’ve also learned while developing my line of skin care products that synthetic chemicals are just not necessary. We can use natural, plant-based ingredients that nourish and protect the skin without risking further damage or harm. Natural ingredients can even help preserve the product and keep it free of microorganisms.

Why spend your hard-earned money on products that may cause health problems down the road? In my opinion, it’s just not worth it.

Support Hard-Working Organizations

I’m so delighted that Women’s Voices for the Earth is making such great strides in our industry to get toxins out of our daily lives. We need more great organizations like these, as together, we can make a difference!

I recently completed a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to get our products into hospitals and cancer centers around the nation. People who are already struggling with health problems always have damaged skin, which makes it even easier for chemicals to soak into the bloodstream where they may cause further damage.

What can you do? Spread the word. Tell your friends and neighbors that these products can do damage. Support organizations like the WVE, and change your choices. There are companies out there like mine that care about what they’re putting into their products. Supporting these companies, while taking your marketing dollars away from those who are doing business as usual, is the best way to make your voice heard.

Britta Aragon is Women’s Voices for the Earth’s May Inspirational Woman. You can support the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act, which would make products we put on our bodies safer, here.

Sources

Nicholas Bakalar, “Cancer on the Rise,” The New York Times, December 22, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/23/health/23stat.html?_r=0.

“Cancer and Toxic Chemicals,” Physicians for Social Responsibility,” http://www.psr.org/environment-and-health/confronting-toxics/cancer-and-toxic-chemicals.html.

“Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” President’s Cancer Panel, 2008-2009 Annual Report, http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf.

“Factsheet: Phthalates,” CDC, http://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Phthalates_FactSheet.html.

Cassidy Randall Director of Outreach and Engagement

 Air freshener seems to be more and more prevalent in our society these days. One market analysis forecast that home fragrance sales would reach $6 billion by 2012. I was unable to find an exact sales number for last year, but I have no doubt that it’s a shockingly high number, given the staggering array of air freshening devices available in the supermarket aisle. Aerosols, sprays, candles, plug-ins, oils, time releasers, each with dozens of different scents to choose from – the options are almost overwhelming.

“So, what’s the problem with all these fragranced air fresheners?” you ask. THIS is the problem: fragrance can be made up of more than 100 chemicals, most of which are synthetic, and some of these chemicals are harming our health.

Take these alarming statistics, for example (which, I should note, are from only one of the many, many studies I could cite about the impact of fragrance chemicals on our health):

One study in the U.K. of 14,000 pregnant women showed a link between the use of air fresheners and aerosol sprays and an increase in headaches and depression in the mothers, as well as ear infections and diarrhea in their babies. In homes where air fresheners and aerosol sprays were used on most days, women experienced 25% more headaches and 19% more post-natal depression than women in homes where such products were used less than once a week. Babies under six months old who were exposed to air fresheners on most days had 30% more ear infections and a 22% greater chance of diarrhea than babies exposed less than once a week[1]. While it is not clear which chemicals (or which combination of chemicals) found in air fresheners may be responsible for these effects, the results of this study raise concern about the safety and necessity of these products.

Let me emphasize that frightening last sentence: We don’t know which chemicals are causing these serious health problems, or which products they’re in. That’s because most companies keep fragrance ingredients a secret with near-religious fervor. This is a big problem when it comes to air fresheners, in which fragrance can make up 70-80% of the overall composition of the product. That means we have no information on the vast majority of chemicals in the product we’re spraying in our homes.

Let’s use a real-life example with an iconic product to illustrate this problem: Glade. Glade is a household name, offering some of the most popular air fresheners on the marketplace. But the makers of Glade keep fragrance ingredients a closely-guarded secret, so we have no idea what makes up that Clean Linen or Lavender & Vanilla scent.

Which is ironic, because SC Johnson, Glade’s parent company, can’t seem to emphasize enough how dedicated they are to “honesty” and “transparency.” Let me just share a few particularly juicy quotes with you:

“We know you value transparency, and we’re committed to sharing what’s inside our products.”

“Today’s families want to know what’s in the household cleaning and air freshening products they use in their homes.”

“That’s why we disclose all ingredients… So you know what you’re bringing into your home.”

Except when it comes to fragrance ingredients, apparently.

Here’s what the makers of Glade are willing to tell you. They released a master list of nearly 1,500 chemicals that they use in all of their fragranced products – but they don’t tell you which chemicals are in which products.

We had a feeling you wouldn’t want to wade through 1,500 chemicals, so we picked out a few choice chemicals on that giant, unwieldy list that we think you should know about:

• Synthetic musks: potential hormone disruptors which are persistent and bioaccumulative, and may break down the body’s defenses against other toxic exposures. These chemicals are showing up in our blood and breast milk.

• All 26 of the allergens currently disclosed on SCJ product labels in the European Union (EU). SCJ doesn’t disclose these allergens on product labels in the US because they’re not required to by law.

• Several additional allergens, which have been deemed of concern in the EU.

• Several chemicals of concern identified by an EU panel as having no publicly available human safety data.

• Terpenes, which can react with ground level ozone in the air to form cancer-causing formaldehyde.

• Petroleum – the same compound in gasoline.

But SC Johnson won’t tell us which products these chemicals are in? Seriously? WVE did a little of our own sleuthing work, and tested a couple of Glade products. We found synthetic musks and allergens, but we were only specifically testing for those chemicals, so who knows what else is hiding out in Glade.

Having something to hide seems to be the only reason companies don’t want to tell us exactly what’s in their fragrances, SCJ included. We know that companies have some pretty advanced technology that allows them to reverse engineer each others’ scents – so threats to intellectual property and trade secrets can’t really be the issue. And we know that there are companies like Seventh Generation that disclose all ingredients without any apparent negative impacts to business. So really – what are these other companies hiding?

We believe that we have a right to know what’s in the products we’re bringing into our homes, spraying in the air that we breathe, landing on the surfaces that we touch, and settling into the dust at our feet.

And we know that we’re not alone in this belief – a study just came out last month called Thinking Consumption: Consumers and the Future of Sustainability, and the headlining find on the study was that consumers rank ingredient transparency among the most important issues for brands:

Nearly 9 in 10 consumers globally (86%) say “ingredient transparency is extremely important or very important” for companies to address as part of their products, services, or operations, including 88% of consumers in emerging markets and 84% of consumers in developed markets.

Guess who sponsored this study, among other companies? SC Johnson, makers of Glade!

Seems like SCJ should take the advice that they themselves asked for – don’t you think?

And this study isn’t the only evidence that their consumers want them to come clean on fragrance ingredients. Since WVE launched our Glade: Stop Keeping Toxic Secrets campaign, thousands of people have called on SCJ to list all fragrance chemicals through direct emails and on social media.

So, let’s recap:

• SC Johnson, makers of Glade, say that they’re committed to transparency. Oh yeah, except when it comes to telling us which fragrance chemicals are in which products.

• Certain fragrance chemicals are harming our health.

• SC Johnson just sponsored a study showing that the incredibly vast majority of consumers want to know what’s in products.

• We’ve been telling them directly that we want to know what’s in fragrance.

Seems like a pretty easy decision to us.

Join our Glade: Stop Keeping Toxic Secrets campaign on Facebook or by emailing the company here.

In the meantime, there are lots of alternatives to air fresheners and fragranced cleaning products – check out some our ideas.

Ogonnaya Dotson-Newman Director of Environmental Health WE ACT for Environmental Justice

As I sit down and reflect on the intersection of race, class and health, I am reminded of why I am so invested in the work of Women’s Voices for the Earth. Not so long ago, I was inspired by my aunt, Ethel Dotson, to commit myself to translating science for communities of color and low income. For the past 5 years, I have been studying, researching and working to create a vision of environmental justice with my friends, family and colleagues. For the past 5 years I have done this at WE ACT for Environmental Justice. I have learned about the legacy of toxins in the environment and the overwhelming connection between the health of my mother and ancestors and myself. The lessons that I have learned about body burden, chemical policy reform, chemicals in products marketed toward people of color and low income and health are astonishing.

Below are a couple of facts that give me pause and remind me of why this work is so important and interconnected:

• 10-20% of women suffer from endometriosis

• Diabetes has a suspected link to endocrine disrupting chemicals.  Concentrations of these endocrine disrupting chemicals were found to be higher in populations of African American and Mexican American Women.

• African Americans, Latinos and Asians are 1.7, 2.3 and 1.8 (respectively) times more likely to live within 3 kilometers of a hazardous waste facility than Whites. 

My own personal legacy of toxins begins in the cancer alley of Louisiana takes a pit stop on the long embattled coastline and marshes of Richmond, California, and continues on the historical streets in Harlem. According to many studies my exposure to chemicals where I live work and play will always be at least 2 times higher than any of my colleagues within the same demographic income bracket. Personally and professionally, I am invested in building healthy communities.

The interconnectedness of our personal struggles to maintain a healthy environment continue. Until we demand that those most vulnerable in our environment are protected, all of us will continue to suffer. It is time to call for protective environmental public health policy.  Join us!!  Check out an organization in your area. Maybe you can donate your time, money or voice to creating impactful policies and practices that provide a toxic free future for everyone.

Ogonnaya is also on the Board of Directors of Women’s Voices for the Earth.

Cassidy Randall Director of Outreach and Engagement

People often ask me, “Why a women’s environmental organization?”

I always take a breath before answering, because there are so many reasons, and because each one contributes to my passion to get toxic chemicals out of our world:

Women’s health problems linked to toxic chemicals are on the rise. Rising rates of breast cancer, early puberty, contaminated breast milk, infertility, birth defects – the list, unfortunately, goes on.

Women are greater users of consumer products that contain toxic chemicals, like personal care products, fragrance, and cleaning products.

Women of color are at greater risk. Many products marketed to women of color, such as skin lighteners, hair relaxers, and dyes, contain some of the most toxic chemicals on the market; flame retardant chemicals have increased by 40% in the breast milk of Inuit women in the Arctic; according to the CDC, African American women are 34% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women.

Women experience unique occupational exposures. 89% of maids and housekeeping cleaners are female, exposed to cleaning chemicals all day. 97% of the nail salon workforce is female, exposed to a host of toxic chemicals in nail salon products. Female-dominated occupations are more likely to be associated with fragrance allergy, such as massage therapists, cosmetologists, household workers, and stylists.

Obviously, I could go on – these are all incredibly compelling reasons on their own. But this next reason is personal. And this is why I do the work that I do to eliminate toxic chemicals from the products that we use every day.

Women are the first environment for the next generation. Biologically, we can pass chemicals on to our children in the womb and through breastfeeding.

I have endometriosis, which is the leading cause of infertility among women. Doctors have told me that it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to have children, that I may never have that opportunity to be the first environment for a child.

This story is far too common. Rates of endometriosis have risen exponentially in the last 50 years—it’s estimated that 10-20% of women suffer from it. Like the rising rates of breast cancer, doctors believe the increase is linked to toxic chemical exposure-in the womb, through breastfeeding, or exposures later in life.

A lot of mothers-to-be do as much as they can to reduce their toxic exposures during pregnancy, just like my mother did – but we simply can’t control everything. A 2009 study by our partners at EWG found over 200 synthetic chemicals present in cord blood in newborns. Another study shows that that if the average woman’s breast milk were bottled for sale, it wouldn’t pass FDA regulations. Breastfeeding is still the best option, but the amount of chemicals poses an unnecessary burden on the child.

I do this work because we can no longer continue to justify the reckless use of toxic chemicals that leaves 10 to 20% of women without the ability to have children.

I may not be able to have children of my own, but I’m part of this movement because I want to ensure that my nieces never have to worry about whether they’re exposing themselves to chemicals that will seriously impair their ability to reproduce. About whether something they’re spraying in their homes or putting on their bodies is messing with their hormones, or that a product they pick up off the shelf is determining the fate of their reproductive systems.

And this is why I’m so proud to be part of this movement – because we are actually creating this world that I’m envisioning. And we’re not just creating it for my nieces – we’re creating it for women all over the country.

The last year has been a groundbreaking year for policies that will protect women’s health – Congress held the first hearing on cosmetics safety in decades, and dozens of salon workers traveled to DC for a Healthy Salon Week of Action demanding protections from toxic chemicals in salons. The Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act was just reintroduced, and the momentum behind this legislation is staggering.

The Safe Chemicals Act passed through the Senate committee last year as well, in the first vote on chemical policy in years. This bill was reintroduced a couple of weeks ago, and we have every intention of making sure it passes.

Because the bottom line is that it shouldn’t be our responsibility to research which products are safe for us to use. We should ALL be able to pick products off the shelves that are safe to begin with. And we have the power to make that happen.

When you join this movement, you become part of a rising tide of people who no longer want to participate in this uncontrolled chemical experiment on our bodies. The tide is rising fast and strong, and nothing can break our momentum – not the chemical industry, major corporations, or the politicians in their pockets. We have SO MUCH power, and this is the time to use it.

Join me in supporting the Safe Chemicals Act, and in creating a world free from toxic chemicals that impair our ability to have children or to lead long and healthy lives.

Jamie McConnell Director of Programs & Policy

Two important pieces of legislation to protect women’s health have been introduced in Congress: The Safe Chemicals Act and the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act. Both bills will reduce women’s exposure to toxic chemicals by requiring chemicals to be tested for safety before they are allowed in consumer products like cosmetics and furniture. Passage of these bills cannot come soon enough.

As a woman, I have enough to worry about without fretting that the products I’m buying and using in my home may harm my health. But I do worry, and that’s because I know our current laws are not protecting us from exposure to toxic chemicals. Cosmetic ingredients do not have to be tested for safety; as a result we end up with lead in lipstick, mercury in mascara and formaldehyde in hair straighteners (and that’s only naming a few of the most egregious examples). Similarly, very little safety testing is done of chemicals used in consumer goods – so we end up with BPA in canned food linings and chlorinated tris in mattresses and furniture, to name a few (I could fill up 100 blogs with examples of nasty chemicals in consumer products, but I’ll spare you!).

It is so frustrating to me that the burden of finding safer products is put on consumers, when it should be the manufacturer’s responsibility to prove their products are safe. I should be able to go into a store, pick a product off the shelf, and trust that it won’t contain a chemical linked to cancer or birth defects.

What’s more, often times it’s hard to know if toxic chemicals are even in the product in the first place, since many products don’t carry an ingredient label. Recently, my husband and I bought a chair for our living room. When I found out it had polyurethane foam I called the store we bought it from and asked if the foam was treated with flame retardants like chlorinated tris. They had no idea. We returned the chair.

To top it off, safe, non-toxic products often cost considerably more. I know there are sofas and chairs available that are not treated with chlorinated tris, but I can’t afford to shell out the big bucks it often costs to buy a safer alternative. This is not just a health issue, it’s an economic justice issue. Just because folks like me can’t afford a $1000 chair doesn’t mean that we should have to be exposed to a dose of toxic chemicals. It’s just not right. And by the way, my husband and I are still chair-less.

The Safe Chemicals Act and the Safe Cosmetics and Personal Care Products Act will help to ensure ALL products have less toxic chemicals in them. So, if this law passes and I go into a store to buy a chair, I can rest assured that the chair probably doesn’t have chlorinated tris in it. Or, if I buy a bottle of shampoo or lotion, I’ll have some assurance that they don’t contain ingredients linked to cancer or reproductive harm.

These bills will place the burden on manufacturers to prove the safety of the chemicals they use in their products, and as far as I’m concerned that’s more than fair. If they are the ones profiting from the sales of these goods they should bear the burden (and yes, cost) of ensuring their products are safe.

I probably don’t need to tell you that laws like this will only pass if YOU raise your voice and tell your congressional reps to support legislation to reduce the use of toxic chemicals in products. It’s super easy and I promise it doesn’t take long. After all, we have a zillion other things we need to worry about! With your help toxic chemicals in products could be one less thing on the worry list.

Ask your senator to co-sponsor the Safe Chemicals Act!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 10th, 2013

Contact:
Jamie McConnell, Women’s Voices for the Earth, 406-543-3747
Sarah Cobler, Montana Conservation Voters, 406-581-2284

Missoula, MT –Today Montana’s Senators Baucus and Tester joined 25 other U.S. Senators introducing the Safe Chemicals Act of 2013. The legislation would provide long overdue fixes to the nation’s broken chemical policies and limit the use of unsafe chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses.

With toxics turning up in furniture, soup cans, baby lotion and thousands of other products, the bill is viewed as essential by some of the nation’s top health and environment groups. The 37-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act that is currently in place is riddled with loopholes that permit harmful ingredients into every corner of the home.

“Our cabinets and cupboards are filled with products containing toxic substances that are dangerous and it’s absolutely preventable” said Chantel Scheiffer, Bozeman mom and board member for Montana Conservation Voters. “Our senators are champions for kids and families in Montana, and it is time for Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act.”
The Safe Chemicals Act would go a long way toward protecting Americans from chemicals that are linked to reproductive and developmental disorders, cancers and other illnesses that are costly to treat and often preventable. Specifically, it would:

• Require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify and restrict the “worst of the worst” chemicals.

• Require basic health and safety information for chemicals.

• Upgrade scientific methods for assessing chemical safety.

• Arm the EPA with the authority it needs to restrict chemicals that pose health and environmental concerns.

• Provide incentives to grow the green chemistry industry.

“Hundreds of chemicals are drifting unchecked into our bodies, chemicals that are strongly linked to a whole host of diseases including asthma, autism, and cancer.  When you look at the numbers of how these diseases have been on a steady rise over the last several decades, it raises questions.  As a nurse, you have to ask yourself, how many fewer patients would walk through our doors if we weren’t constantly exposed to toxic chemicals in everyday products?” said Kelli Barber, co-chair of the Nurses Workgroup for Health Care Without Harm.

Hundreds of Montanans across the state have spoken up for safer chemicals by emailing, writing letters and signing petitions urging Senators Baucus and Tester to support strengthening chemical policy laws in the U.S.
“This is an issue that is very important to women in Montana and we’re pleased that Senators Baucus and Tester have responded to their concerns,” said Jamie McConnell, director of programs and policy at Women’s Voices for the Earth.

Several groups in Montana support passing stronger chemical policies including: Health Care Without Harm, Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund and Women’s Voices for the Earth. http://www.womensvoices.org/campaigns/safe-chemicals/

# # #

For Immediate Release:
April 10^th, 2013

Contact:
Jamie McConnell, Women’s Voices for the Earth, 406-543-3747
Sarah Cobler, Montana Conservation Voters, 406-581-2284

MISSOULA, MT – Today Montana’s Senators Baucus and Tester joined 25 other U.S. Senators introducing the Safe Chemicals Act of 2013. The legislation would provide long overdue fixes to the nation’s broken chemical policies and limit the use of unsafe chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses.

With toxics turning up in furniture, soup cans, baby lotion and thousands of other products, the bill is viewed as essential by some of the nation’s top health and environment groups. The 37-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act that is currently in place is riddled with loopholes that permit harmful ingredients into every corner of the home.

“Our cabinets and cupboards are filled with products containing toxic substances that are dangerous and it’s absolutely preventable” said Chantel Scheiffer, Bozeman mom and board member for Montana Conservation Voters. “Our senators are champions for kids and families in Montana, and it is time for Congress to pass the Safe Chemicals Act.”

The Safe Chemicals Act would go a long way toward protecting Americans from chemicals that are linked to reproductive and developmental disorders, cancers and other illnesses that are costly to treat and often preventable. Specifically, it would:

• Require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to identify and restrict the “worst of the worst” chemicals.
• Require basic health and safety information for chemicals.
• Upgrade scientific methods for assessing chemical safety.
• Arm the EPA with the authority it needs to restrict chemicals that pose health and environmental concerns.
• Provide incentives to grow the green chemistry industry.

“Hundreds of chemicals are drifting unchecked into our bodies, chemicals that are strongly linked to a whole host of diseases including asthma, autism, and cancer.  When you look at the numbers of how these diseases have been on a steady rise over the last several decades, it raises questions.  As a nurse, you have to ask yourself, how many fewer patients would walk through our doors if we weren’t constantly exposed to toxic chemicals in everyday products?” said Kelli Barber, co-chair of the Nurses Workgroup for Health Care Without Harm.

Hundreds of Montanans across the state have spoken up for safer chemicals by emailing, writing letters and signing petitions urging Senators Baucus and Tester to support strengthening chemical policy laws in the U.S.

“This is an issue that is very important to women in Montana and we’re pleased that Senators Baucus and Tester have responded to their concerns,” said Jamie McConnell, director of programs and policy at Women’s Voices for the Earth.

Several groups in Montana support passing stronger chemical policies including: Health Care Without Harm, Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund and Women’s Voices for the Earth. http://www.womensvoices.org/campaigns/safe-chemicals/

 # # #

April 5, 2013

Alexandra Scranton

Mmm, the fresh scent of laundry that’s been dried with dryer sheets.

Wait a minute—how do dryer sheets do that?

Unfortunately, dryer sheets can contain some harmful chemicals—including hidden fragrance chemicals that lots of people are sensitive to—that vent off into the air we breath and rub off on our clothes and then onto our skin. Yikes! And the kicker is that dryer sheets aren’t even necessary to our laundry—so they’re just an extra source of exposure to toxic chemicals.

Read more.

This is unacceptable. We have a right to know what’s in the products we’re using in our homes.

The makers of Glade pride themselves on their commitment to telling consumers what’s in their products: “We know you value transparency, and we’re committed to sharing what’s inside our products.” Except when it comes to fragrance ingredients, apparently.

We have the power to convince Glade to be truly transparent. They’ve said it themselves: “As a family company, listening and responding to consumers is SC Johnson’s top priority.”

Tell Glade to stop keeping secrets and list all fragrance ingredients.