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EDF identified 10 cities in the U.S. with the most lead service lines (LSLs) based on numbers reported in 2021. These cities collectively have over one million LSLs, representing 12% of the 9.2 million EPA estimates are in the country.

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative, and Roya Alkafaji, Manager, Healthy Communities What Happened: The Ohio Department of Health published an interactive map showing almost 1,200 properties whose owners have refused to comply with an order to correct known lead-based paint hazards. As a result, the Department has declared these properties are unsafe to …

Statement from Dr. Elena Craft, Associate Vice President, Climate and Health, Environmental Defense Fund

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative and Roya Alkafaji, Manager, Healthy Communities What Happened: The State of New Jersey published an interactive map showing potential sources of lead exposure for any given address in the state. Currently, the map specifically looks at lead-based paint in housing, though the State has plans to expand this …

Lindsay McCormick, Senior Manager, Safer Chemicals, Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals and Roya Alkafaji, Manager, Healthy Communities What Happened? Earlier this month, EPA announced an updated formula it will use to allocate federal funds for lead service line (LSL) replacements. This new formula will be based on each state’s expected needs, as determined by a …

EDF welcomes news that the Biden EPA will finally be banning many uses of the toxic chemical methylene chloride.

What Happened? FDA estimates that, each year, food companies designate 82 new food chemicals as “GRAS” (Generally Recognized as Safe) for use in food. On average, FDA reviews only 64 of those new chemicals for safety. For the remaining 18 chemicals in FDA’s estimate, the companies making and marketing them for use in food or …

In its annual justification of budget estimates to Congress, FDA describes its activities and tracks its performance. One of those performance measures is the percentage of food- and color-additive petitions (FAPs/CAPs) the agency has reviewed and completed within 360 days of receipt.[1] We analyzed FDA’s reports to Congress published from 2016 to 2023 and found …

What’s National Teflon Day? According to National Day Calendar, yesterday (April 6th) was “National Teflon Day”—a day to “celebrate” the accidental discovery in 1938 of a chemical called polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE for short)—better known by the product it became associated with, Teflon™. Teflon™ is PFAS Wrapped in a Bow PTFE, the main component of Teflon™, is …

Learn about the dangers of forever chemicals in drinking water, how to protect your family, and what steps the EPA is taking to ensure your safety. Stay informed and stay healthy with expert Tom Neltner.

What’s New? Yesterday, (March 27), EDF—together with the National Wildlife Federation—filed a “friend of the court” brief in the case of Vinyl Institute v. EPA. We expressed our support for EPA’s authority to order companies to 1) Conduct health and safety studies for their chemicals and 2) Turn over those test data to EPA when the agency …

The EPA is poised to strengthen mercury regulations from power plants.

By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy, and Lauren Ellis, MPH, Research Analyst What Happened:  We recently expressed concern to EPA about its conclusion that “distribution in commerce” (including the transportation of chemicals) does not contribute to the unreasonable risk for any of the first 10 chemicals evaluated under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  In …

By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy, and Lauren Ellis, MPH, Research Analyst SUMMARY: We explore the connection between the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the risks of toxic chemicals from transportation accidents, and the pathway to better protect communities. Last month, a Norfolk Southern freight train hauling several railcars carrying toxic chemicals derailed …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative Note: This is the third of three blogs in this series. Click here for Blog 1 or Blog 2. On January 24, 2023, FDA released draft action levels for lead in foods intended for babies and young toddlers.1 For most of these foods, the limit would be 10 …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals What Happened: FDA recently released draft action levels for lead in foods intended for babies and young toddlers.1 Action levels represent the point above which FDA is likely to regard food as adulterated – essentially unsafe – and seek a recall. This is a key step in implementing FDA’s …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative Note: This is the first of three blogs in this series. Click here for Blog 2 or Blog 3. On January 24, 2023, FDA released draft action levels1 for lead in foods intended for babies and young toddlers.2 This proposal is a key step in implementing the agency’s …

EDF’s Clean Beauty Justice Roadmap is a step-by-step guide that companies can use to develop chemical policies that ensure that everybody has access to safer products.

1. A new law paves the way for policy advancements and there’s more work to be done  For over 80 years, the cosmetic industry has been deeply underregulated. FDA has historically depended on voluntary compliance and guidance, even for product recalls. Late last year, Congress passed the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022, the first …

White House Summit on Lead Pipes brings mayors, water utilities, and lead experts, including EDF's Senior Director for Safer Chemicals, Tom Neltner, to discuss accelerating replacement of lead water pipes and prioritizing those efforts for communities with the greatest health burdens.

What’s Happening? EPA’s current safety assessments of new chemicals proposed for market entry often fall short of effectively protecting all members of the public from risk because they don’t consider that we may be exposed to closely related chemicals that cause similar harms. Recent Example: EPA proposed rules requiring notification of significant new uses for …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals and Lindsay McCormick, Senior Manager, Safer Chemicals What’s New: After an extensive review process, EPA approved Denver Water’s request to extend the variance to allow the utility to administer their Lead Reduction Program for the full 15-year term. EPA touts Denver Water’s Lead Reduction Program as an “innovative and …

Water utilities are increasingly posting interactive maps online to help residents identify whether their homes are connected to lead service lines (LSLs). EDF's new blog series, Mapping Lead Pipes, will explore how utilities are approaching maps, evaluate which map features are most and least effective, and share best practices to help guide future efforts.

By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy What’s the Issue? EPA grants exemptions from full safety reviews for approximately half the new chemicals submitted by the chemical industry. Once those exemptions are granted, EPA very rarely revises or revokes them—even in the face of new information. The Toxic Substances Control Act allows EPA to …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals What’s New: EPA announced it has awarded $1.16 billion to the State Revolving Fund (SRF) programs in 21 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories to support lead service line (LSL) replacement projects. In order to secure funding, these states developed and submitted Intended Use Plans (IUPs), which …