For decades, chemical companies have profited by producing “new and exciting” toxic chemicals, with little concern for the costs – to workers, to communities, to utilities and governments. Corporations benefitted while communities paid the costs for testing and treatment of contaminated water and soil, for increased medical costs to deal with long term health impacts like cancer, for the extra time and money spent desperately trying to avoid these toxic materials.

Defend Our Health believes all people have a right to safe food and drinking water, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly. But it’s impossible to really solve the toxics crisis by focusing on testing, treatment, medical care… these solutions address the symptoms, but not the cause.

To stop toxic chemicals from polluting our communities, we need to prevent these chemicals from being produced and used in the first place.

• Pre-market Review: For new chemicals, we must make companies go through a strict hazard-based review process (no loopholes for companies to claim that the lack of data on long-term harm is the same as proof of safety — it takes decades for a chemical exposure to cause cancer, and we can’t let companies experiment on us and our families!)
• Ban the Bad: For existing chemicals, we need to phase out and ban the use of chemicals that are known to be toxic and where safer solutions already exist. PFAS, plastics, and other toxic materials are currently avoidable in many products – we have safer options already available, and need to stop allowing intentionally-added toxics in cookware, clothing, cosmetics, and other everyday products.
• Disclose Chemicals: In products where a toxic chemical is currently unavoidable, we push for companies to make that information clearly available to consumers wherever the product is sold – you have a right to know what is in your food, your clothing, your products so you can make informed choices as to what you buy. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to hide toxic ingredients to protect their bottom line.