February 2022 Spotlight
We are wishing you a successful month! Below is Clean and Healthy New York's monthly newsletter to spotlight the latest science, policy developments, and media coverage that sheds light on the state of environmental health in New York, the US, and abroad.
Addressing Toxics is Critical to Create a Circular Economy
Recycling should be an important component of a circular economy. The International Pollutants Elimination Network conducted a study showing the danger of doing so without addressing toxic chemicals. During the plastic production process, chemicals - some of which can harm human health and the environment - are added to provide different properties, and they are part of the material even after recycling. For example, banned flame retardants have been found in cooking utensils and toys. Read more
32 States, Including NY, are Advancing Bills to Protect People from Toxics, Especially PFAS
In 2022, legislatures in 32 states, including New York, are advanging over 210 bills to take action on the “forever chemicals” PFAS. PFAS are used to make numerous products, ranging from pots and pans to jackets and makeup, and they are so common they can be found in rainwater. In New York, bills focusing on PFAS in consumer goods and textiles, in drinking and groundwater, and in cosmetics. Read more
Are the Replacements Always Better?
Over a decade ago, NYS banned BPA (bisphenol A) in baby bottles and sippy cups. Now, chemicals with similar structures, including bisphenol-S (BPS) and bisphenol-F (BPF) have become common replacements. New evidence shows they may be just as harmful as its cousin BPA, at a time when the European regulators have recommended cutting acceptable level of BPA to 1/100,000 of previous levels. Read more
Attorney General James Demands Baby Food Company to Stop False and Misleading Advertising
New York Attorney General Letitia James called out JSG Babyfood LLC and JSG Organics LLC for their false advertisement of their food not containing heavy metals and lead. Their food pouches were taken to a lab and tested for any harmful ingredients. Lead, cadmium, arsenic, and other heavy metals were found in each of the pouches. Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of Clean & Healthy NY, noted in the article, “False advertising and greenwashing - claiming things are safer or healthier than they are - hurts everyone.” Read more
Pushing Past Planetary Limits on Toxics
New research finds that human production of new chemicals exceeds planetary limits: Chemical production has increased 50 times since 1950, and it’s expected to triple again by 2050. “The pace that societies are producing and releasing new chemicals and other novel entities into the environment is not consistent with staying within a safe operating space for humanity,” said researcher Patricia Villarubia-Gómez of Stockholm University. Read more
Clean and Healthy New York’s Monthly Webinar Series
Please join us for our March webinar, Intersections: How Toxics Impact Women. It will take place on March 15th at 7PM. Register here https://bit.ly/womxns_month.
You can view our previous webinars at https://chny.org/webinars. Topics include personal care products, an overview of environmental health and justice policy in 2022, the intersection of race and environmental policy.
Building a just and healthy society in which toxic chemicals are unthinkable.
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