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Part 2 of a 2-part series: Unrestricted approvals of new chemicals, with low fees  Maria Doa, Ph.D., Senior Director, Chemicals Policy In its recently issued ‘State of TSCA’ report, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) tries to turn back the clock on how EPA assesses and mitigates the risks of toxic chemicals under the Toxic Substances …

Maria Doa, Ph.D., Senior Director, Chemicals Policy; Lauren Ellis, MPH, Research Analyst; and Lariah Edwards, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow  The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) recently filed comments on EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Collaborative Research Program to Support New Chemical Reviews (Collaborative Research Program). The Collaborative Research Program is a multi-year scientific partnership between the …

Samantha Liskow, Lead Counsel, Healthy Communities; and Lauren Ellis, Research Analyst, Environmental Health EPA has committed to address the urgent issues presented by PFAS, a harmful class of human-made chemicals that are used widely in everyday products. Last July, as part of this effort, EPA called on companies to voluntarily withdraw some 600 PFAS that …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safery Chemicals The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently released draft action levels for lead in juice, proposing to reduce lead limits from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb for apple juice and 20 ppb for all other juices. However, the draft limits don’t go far enough to protect …

Part 1 of a 2-part series: Minimizing or ignoring chemical risks Maria Doa, Ph.D., Senior Director, Chemicals Policy  In its recently issued ‘State of TSCA’ report, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) tries to turn back the clock on how EPA assesses and mitigates the risks of toxic chemicals. The chemical industry group looks to return …

 EPA today launched an outreach effort designed to educate and engage stakeholders about a key source of delay in the review process for new chemicals: the chemical industry’s repeated revisions to their applications to manufacture a chemical. These revisions, known as “reworks,” add “at least several months” to the review process, the agency said.

A legal loophole allows food and chemical manufacturers to include thousands of untested ingredients to be used in our foods and supplements. EDF and its allies are pressing the Food and Drug Administration to end this irresponsible and potentially dangerous state of affairs.

FDA has agreed to reconsider the safety of using bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonate plastics, metal can coatings, and other materials that contact food, potentially setting the stage for strict new limits on the harmful chemical.

Food packaging performs a lot of functions. It keeps food fresh for longer, provides protection during transportation and allows for tracking, labeling and marketing. A variety of materials and their underlying chemicals make this possible, but there are potential adverse impacts.  Toxic chemicals used to make everyday food packaging are putting consumer health at risk,

Chemicals banned from children's toys are still found in food. The FDA must take action now, say environment and health organizations.

Food packaging shouldn’t be a human health hazard, an environmental pollutant or a business risk. But today, it is.   Common food packaging containers, like chip bags, drink bottles and takeout boxes, contain several toxic chemicals that leach out into the food and wind up in our bodies or the environment. It’s time the food industry …

Statement of EDF Senior Director, Chemical Policy, Maria Doa

Jennifer Ortega, Research Analyst, Environmental Health Environmental racism is everywhere. At the neighborhood level, communities of color often experience worse air quality, fewer green spaces, or face more extreme temperatures. At the household level, families of color and low-income families experience a higher risk of lead in their drinking water and higher utility debt and …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals and Maricel Maffini, consultant A powerful investigative article by Politico’s Helena Bottemiller Evich revealed significant structural and leadership problems at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) food program. The article articulated what has been implicitly understood by the food safety community. It led to demands from Congress for Commissioner …

Joanna Slaney, Sr. Director, Federal Affairs; and Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative For the first time in recent memory Congress approved funds for FDA specifically to address food safety from potentially dangerous chemicals that may present health hazards. Now it’s time for the agency to get to work. Congress appropriated $7 million for …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals Initiative; and Jennifer Ortega, Research Analyst Providence Water, Rhode Island’s largest water utility, has applied for state funds to rehabilitate drinking water mains in its service area. Lead service lines (LSLs) are often attached to the mains and carry drinking water to customer’s homes. The utility has requested a …

Maria Doa, Ph.D., Senior Director, Chemicals Policy  The EPA will release a draft Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) assessment of formaldehyde, a key scientific review that identifies and characterizes the hazards from chronic exposure to this known carcinogen. The draft assessment, due to be published tomorrow, will be reviewed by the National Academies of Science,

Last week, Walmart announced the launch of the Circular Connector, a new tool that will help brands access safer, environmentally sustainable packaging options.  Sustainable packaging initiatives have been on the radar for many retail giants in the consumer product industry, and for good reason: Packaging changes are often the easiest thing to change when trying …

Today, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was called out for falling short of its mandate to protect consumer health. The investigation exposes the agency’s long track record of failing to effectively act in a timely manner on several food safety issues, including heavy metals in baby food and foodborne illnesses from contaminated produce.  These …

Your skin color or the texture of your hair shouldn’t put you at greater risk of exposure to toxic chemicals. It's time for brands and retailers to act.

Maricel Maffini, consultant and Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director This blog is the fourth in our Broken GRAS series where we explore the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) voluntary notification system for novel chemicals added to food, how the process works in practice, and why it is broken. Companies voluntarily …

Maria Doa, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy This week Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) filed comments on EPA’s plan to assess the risks to frontline communities from nearby releases of chemicals to the air and water. The EPA’s proposal is an improvement from the previous administration, which failed to follow the requirements of the Toxic Substances Control …

Jennifer Ortega, Research Analyst, and Tom Neltner, Chemicals Policy Director At the start of this year, Childhood Lead Action Project (CLAP), South Providence Neighborhood Association, Direct Action for Rights and Equality, National Center for Healthy Housing, and EDF submitted an administrative civil rights complaint to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) against Providence Water Supply Board …

Tom Neltner, Senior Director, Safer Chemicals It is always worth keeping an eye on the latest U.S. data on blood lead levels in children. While no amount of lead is safe, it is nice to see lower levels reported in findings released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) late last year. In …

Large retailers in the beauty space, like Walmart, Amazon and Target, have launched accelerator programs to help smaller companies grow their brands. While accelerator programs differ company-to-company, many provide access to funds, networking, mentorship, training, and marketing opportunities. But only a small percent include a specific focus on a critical area: Sustainability. Retailers are setting …