Victory: REI is phasing out toxic PFAS from its products
Other outdoor retailers should follow REI’s lead and take action to eliminate these harmful chemicals.
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: EPA acts to protect drinking water from PFAS
We can prevent future chemical train derailments by using less plastic
Updates
REI commits to eliminating PFAS from its products
Newest climate deal would hold polluters accountable for toxic waste clean up
PIRG launches campaign to ban the destructive herbicide dicamba
Featured Resources
“Chemical recycling”: What you need to know.
Get the Lead Out
Recording of Farewell to Fluorescents policy briefing
Get the Lead Out Toolkit
I decided to support an organization that doesn’t seem to rely on partisan politics to accomplish goals, and as a pediatrician, I have been especially interested in OSPIRG’s projects that impact the health of children and infants...Patricia Jett, Member
I decided to support an organization that doesn’t…rely on partisan politics to accomplish goals
The Latest
Type
How we beat back plastic waste, took on toxic pollution and more in 2022
PIRG and our supporters were able to make major progress this year on some of our country’s most pressing challenges to the public interest.
Statement: 3M to stop making, using PFAS
Major manufacturer to discontinue use of hazardous ‘forever chemicals’ by end of 2025
Statement: Climate deal would reinstate much needed ‘polluter pays’ tax on oil industry
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia have reached a deal on a reconciliation bill that, among major climate and energy efficiency provisions, includes an oil excise tax to fund Superfund toxic waste site cleanups nationwide. If passed, this bill would reinstate one of several “polluter pays” taxes that was allowed to lapse 26 years ago.
48,000 signers urge Columbia Sportswear to live up to its sustainability values by banning toxic PFAS
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) delivered more than 48,000 petition signatures to Columbia Sportswear CEO, calling for the company to phase out toxic PFAS from its supply chain by 2024.
Reinstated ‘polluter pays’ tax goes into effect, protecting Americans from toxic waste
A chemical excise tax to fund Superfund toxic waste site cleanups nationwide will go into effect on Friday, reinstating one of several “polluter pays” taxes that had been allowed to lapse 26 years ago. The EPA’s Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up the country’s most hazardous waste sites.