Do you know what's in your water? What about your shampoo?
And is it something you should be concerned about?
How about the farms, fracking wells and factories in your local area? Do you know what safeguards they use to protect your water, soil, air and your kids from pollution?
Most likely, you don't know all the answers. And, frankly, we didn't either – until we started to do the research.
Then and now, most people assume that the federal government protects our health and environment from harm. But the fact is, in many cases it doesn't. When our researchers and computer experts start digging into the data, or our government affairs team starts finding loopholes in policy, what we learn often makes us feel unprotected.
One reason for this is that the mechanisms the government has in place to protect public health and the environment – such as the FDA, the USDA and the EPA – simply move too slowly to keep up with the pace of business. Federal regulators have deemed legal a wide range of toxic chemicals and pollutants in the workplace, in consumer products and the environment – at exposure levels that scientific evidence indicates are not safe.
Congress hasn't sent a major federal environmental protection law to the president's desk for signature in 18 years. Many of the public policy tools we have used since the 1970s to effect change and protect consumers have been dulled or broken by decades of corporate influence peddling.
Government health and safety standards set under dozens of environmental laws are routinely distorted and weakened by the heavy investment that industries make in legions of lobbyists who influence the federal system.
Congress hasn't sent a major federal environmental protection law to the president's desk for signature in 18 years. Many of the public policy tools we have used since the 1970s to effect change and protect consumers have been dulled or broken by decades of corporate influence peddling.
So EWG has been giving a major makeover to time-tested strategies for winning this fight: pressure from millions of informed (and ticked off) consumers. Moms. Dads. Anyone concerned about what damage pollution, junk food and toxic consumer products can do to our health. We're betting you're one of them.
Through our reports, online databases, mobile apps and communications campaigns, EWG is educating and empowering consumers to make safer and more informed decisions about the products they buy and the companies they support. In response to this consumer pressure, companies are removing potentially dangerous chemicals and improving their practices.
For 20 years, EWG research has documented the potential for health-threatening toxic exposures from cosmetics, sunscreens, water, food, household cleaners and more. That people actually are exposed to toxic chemicals and pollutants from these myriad sources is beyond dispute. EWG and other researchers have documented “pollution in people” of all ages, from toddlers to teens to seniors – in blood, fatty tissue, urine and breast milk.
We've even found hundreds of toxic industrial chemicals in the umbilical cord blood of newborn babies. The exposure begins before they enter the world.
To a shocking degree, exposure to most of these toxins is entirely legal. Fortunately, most are also largely, and affordably, avoidable through sound design, common sense safeguards and standards and informed consumer choice.
With its investigations into BPA, parabens in cosmetics and pesticides on produce, EWG is turning up the heat – and turning people into activists on our issues.
Each time EWG releases a report or an advocacy campaign, it musters a powerful bullhorn to rally grassroots efforts and mobilize consumers. We get a lot of pushback from polluters, agribusiness, Big Food and the energy industry. The attacks don't phase us, because we have the facts on our side, and we have you--EWG has built a large, vibrant – and growing – following focused exclusively on environmental health. Our online traffic exceeded 20 million visits in 2013 and more than 100 million page views. We doubled our Facebook fans to 260,000 people, gained 30,000 Twitter followers and now 1.3 million email subscribers – an audience eager to read our reports and take action on issues that are important to them.
EWG's scientists work hard digging into the data and staying on top of the current science to keep you educated. Our researchers work constantly on a host of projects – building and updating the popular Skin Deep, Sunscreen and Cleaners databases; providing you with useful tips for choosing a bug spray or a water filter; tracking crop insurance and farm subsidy payouts to show exactly how your tax dollars are spent; and analyzing the impact of farming on the environment – just to name a few. Every year we release a number of reports and guides to help you make decisions and stay informed – 2013 was no exception.
From Capitol Hill to state capitals to the corner offices of corporate headquarters, EWG staff advocate for you every day. We testify in Congress, work with members of Congress, file Freedom of Information Act requests, deliver petitions and hold companies accountable. We fight the tough fights and challenge the status quo, because you have the right to know what you're eating, feeding your family and what chemicals are in the products you use daily.
EWG is people-powered.
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EWG 2014 Board
Ami Aronson
David Baker
Jennifer Caldwell
Ken Cook
Rob Fetherstonhaugh
Melissa Hughes
Dr. Mark Hyman
Dr. Harvey Karp
Nina Montee Karp
Carol McDonnell, Chair
Robyn O’Brien*
Drummond Pike
William G. Ross, Jr.
Laura Turner Seydel
Francesca Vietor
Heather White*
* EWG Action Board Member
EWG 2014 Staff
Bill Allayaud, director of government affairs, Calif.
Aman Anderson, web designer
Dave Andrews, senior scientist
Jocelyn Babuscio, vice president of development and online engagement
Katherine Baird, executive assistant to Ken Cook
Melanie Benish, Stabile law fellow
Nils Bruzelius, executive editor and vice president for publications
Chris Campbell, vice president for information technology
Emily Cassidy, biofuels research analyst
Dean Clark, web developer
Thomas Cluderay, general counsel
Julia Cohen, senior director of external engagement
Johanna Congleton, senior scientist
Ken Cook, president
Craig Cox, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources
Cailey Doran, email marketing associate
Brett Dorow, human resources
Steven Drace, director of private sector engagement
Scott Faber, senior vice president of government affairs
Libby Foley, policy analyst
Christina Frenzel, digital media manager
Samara Geller, database analyst
Colleen Hutchings, senior director of online fundraising and engagement
Emily Ion Kosuge, director of strategic partnerships
Mary Ellen Kustin, senior policy analyst
Mike Lavender, policy analyst
Brett Lorenzen, coordinator, Mississippi River Project
Helen Lucey, special assistant to the executive director
Sonya Lunder, senior research analyst
Nneka Leiba, deputy director of research
Scott Mallan, vice president, finance and chief operating officer
Aya Matsumoto, development assistant
Ashley McCormack, manager, partnerships and outreach
Rachel Niemerski, policy associate
Nicole Oliver, foundation coordinator
Katie Peacor, web designer
Sean Perrone-Gray, senior analyst
Paul Pestano, analyst
Jason Rano, director of government affairs
Soren Rundquist, landscape and remote sensing analyst
Sara Sciammacco, vice president of communications
Tina Sigurdson, staff attorney
Elaine Shannon, editor-in-chief and publisher
Renee Sharp, director of research
Kathryn Ulerich, bookkeeper
Heather White, executive director
Ty Yalniz, web designer