Catch up on the latest news and analysis from EWG’s team of experts.
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House Bill Would Weaken Already Feeble Protections Against Harmful Chemicals
Should chemicals we encounter every day be safe? You'd think the answer would be an obvious and resounding “yes.” But if you ask chemical companies – or some lawmakers – they say that “safe” is...
A River of Doubt
When 300,000 West Virginians went without water for three weeks earlier this year, most Americans were shocked to learn that health officials and the government didn't know much about the licorice...
What We Can Learn From West Virginia
On January 9, more than 7,500 gallons of a chemical used to process coal – crude MCHM – spilled into West Virginia's Elk River at a facility owned by Freedom Industries.
Chemicals that should disappear from cosmetics
FDA is trying (again) to clean up your hand soap
The federal Food and Drug administration has announced proposed rules that could drive unnecessary and potentially dangerous products from the market -- antibacterial hand soaps like those marketed by...
Guest Blog: Toxic chemical reform must help, not hinder states and victims’ rights
In the United States, the framework for safeguarding people and the environment against the dangers of toxic chemicals comprises three mutually reinforcing legal systems: federal regulation, state and...
Chemical Industry to Pregnant Women: Don’t Worry your Pretty Little Heads
I had two challenging pregnancies filled with uncertainty and stress. Thankfully, the end result was two healthy kids. One thing was certain, though – I could handle the truth. I wanted all the facts...
Urge Obama, EPA to Develop Strong Safety plans for Chemical Plants
There are safe, affordable alternatives to the dangerous chemicals like the ones used in the Texas fertilizer plant that exploded in April. But instead of making the switch, the chemical industry has...
12 Chemical Facilities Putting the Most Americans at Risk
There are more than 12,000 chemical plants that put Americans at risk with large amounts of chemicals, and 89 of those endanger more than 1 million people. Unfortunately, those most at risk in the...
A Senate Plan to Protect Cancer
Mesothelioma is an aggressive and incurable form of cancer. It is almost always caused by inhaling tiny asbestos fibers, which pass through the lungs and become embedded in the mesothelium, a thin...
New “Chemical Safety” Bill Would Put People at Greater Risk
There's a growing consensus – except in the chemical industry and among its lobbyists and allies in Congress – that when it comes to protecting people and the environment from dangerous chemicals, the...
New Research Explores How a Widely Used Fire Retardant Could Trigger Cancer
Earlier this year a disturbing study showed that the brominated fire retardant TBBPA, which is widely used in consumer products, triggers cancer in lab animals. Now a new study suggests that the...
Back-to-School Shouldn’t Mean Back-to-Toxics
I spend lots of time thinking about toxic chemicals, so when I shop I get pretty annoyed. It's flame retardants again. They're in everything – kids' pajamas, nap mats, nursing pillows, even some of...
What’s in a Name? Safe for Kids, Not Just Chemicals
Everybody – environmentalists and chemical industry executives alike – wants to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act. “Outdated” doesn't begin to describe a law that was cumbersome and weak on the...
Senator Formaldehyde’s ‘Chemical Safety’ Bill
These days, legislation rarely makes it through Congress without support from interest groups on both sides of the issue, forcing lawmakers to draft bills that are largely balanced. Now, however, the...
Real Chemical Reform Must Ban Asbestos
What you can't see can be deadly: virtually invisible, yet absolutely lethal asbestos fibers lead to environmental and occupational diseases that claim the lives of 30 Americans every day.
Manufacturers Deceive Consumers with “Organic” Product Names
Savvy consumers know that cosmetics do not have to be tested and proved safe before making it onto store shelves. Consumer protections for personal care products are outdated and broken, so shoppers...
Three Ways the Industry-Backed Chemical Bill Fails
The Chemical Safety Improvement Act introduced in May lacks key reforms considered critical during earlier Congressional efforts to protect people from dangerous industrial chemicals. The gold...
California EPA Calls Foul Over Chemical Safety “Improvement” Act
Having lived and worked in California most of my life (and spent the last 12 years at EWG), I could not be more proud of my state’s long-time leadership in protecting public health and the environment...
When it Comes to Chemicals, How Safe is “Safe”?
Industrial chemicals are everywhere in daily life — in personal care products, furniture, household cleaners, toys, and even peanut butter. Because some chemicals once thought harmless have been...