Toxic threats
The chemicals used in everything from perfumes to cleaners to fertilizers should make our lives better — not harm our health or our environment.
There are more than 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, used in everything from perfumes and household cleaners to fertilizers and industrial solvents. Surprisingly, most chemicals go into use without testing their long-term impact on our health or the environment. We should make sure that any chemical in use is safe, eliminate any we know are dangerous, and when industries make a toxic mess, we should know right away, and they should pay to clean it up.
The Latest on Toxic threats
Statement: New rule will aid PFAS clean-ups
STATEMENT: FDA says PFAS completely phased out of U.S. food packaging
Updates
Expert panel discusses toy recalls, dangerous counterfeits, and tips for parents this holiday season.
24,040 members call on EPA to designate first two “forever chemicals” as hazardous substances under Superfund law
Advocacy groups to EPA: Take action to reduce near-term “forever chemical” releases
What You Can Do
Featured Resources
Superfund Back on Track
The Threat of “Forever Chemicals”
Who are the top toxic water polluters in your state?
“Chemical recycling”: What you need to know.
The Latest
Type
Preparing for a hurricane: Here are tips to protect yourself, your home and your finances
Here's how to keep your property, your pets and your wallet safe
Consumer advocacy groups launch campaign to get Columbia Sportswear to phase out toxic ‘forever chemicals’
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) launched a campaign on Tuesday calling on outdoor gear and apparel brand Columbia Sportswear to phase out the use of PFAS in its products and supply chains. Last month, the company received low marks in a scorecard report released by the advocacy groups. The report found that Columbia Sportswear has failed to adopt policies that ban PFAS chemicals or provide up-to-date, publicly available information on any ongoing efforts to phase out these toxic chemicals from their products.
Campaign for Columbia Sportswear Commitment to Eliminate PFAS Launched Today
Today U.S. PIRG Education Fund and NRDC launched a campaign to urge Columbia Sportswear to eliminate toxic PFAS in their products and supply chain by 2024. The campaign will engage everyday consumers through a petition drive and mobilize the public impacted by PFAS contamination.
Interactive map shows widespread lead contamination in schools drinking water
Lead contamination of school drinking water is more pervasive than previously thought, according to testing data from across the nation published on Thursday by Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund on a new interactive map. The groups urged public officials to take swift action to “get the lead out” of schools’ drinking water.
New scorecard grades popular apparel brands on commitments to avoiding PFAS
CALPIRG Education Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc.(NRDC) and Fashion FWD released a scorecard on Wednesday ranking popular retail and apparel brands on policy commitments to eliminate a dangerous class of toxic “forever chemicals,” known as PFAS, from their products