Category: Toxic-Free Products
Microplastics are disrupting photosynthesis and threatening our food supply
Summary An alarming new study published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science revealed that microplastics disrupt photosynthesis, the process plants use to make energy. This disruption could reduce the global food supply by up to 14% and put millions more people at risk of starvation. BackgroundMicroplastics are tiny pieces of plastic, even as small as… Read more »
Toxic-Free Tips: Reusables
Our food system is riddled with plastic, which is nowhere more prevalent than in food packaging. The FDA should rein in plastics and phthalates in the packaging that touches our food. That’s why we’re urging Health and Human Services Secretary Kennedy to do just that in his role as the head of the department that… Read more »
Farewell to Foam Act
Defend Our Health has joined forces with dozens of organizations supporting the Farewell to Foam Act. This national legislation was introduced by U.S. Representative Llyod Doggett (D-Texas) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland). The Act would phase out polystyrene single-use food service products, loose fill (such as packing peanuts), and non-medical disposable coolers. It would prohibit… Read more »
What is PFAS?
Chances are, every one of us has encountered a chemical compound in the PFAS class today. Probably, in the last hour. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class of chemicals commonly used in consumer goods to waterproof or repel stains, grease, and dirt. Not only have we encountered them, but the CDC reports… Read more »
Defend Our Health Featured on Green Living with Tee Podcast
Defend’s senior market campaigner Maya Rommwatt guest starred on the Green Living Gurus’ podcast titled Green Living With Tee. The Green Living Gurus are a collection of women whose mission is to share tools and information on how to decrease exposure to toxic chemicals and help people live healthy lifestyles. Maya joined Therese “Tee” Forton-Barnes… Read more »
Defend Our Health Releases First-Ever Study that Reveals the Hard Truths Behind Plastic Bottles
Today – ahead of the global plastics treaty negotiations in Paris – Defend our Health and the Beyond Petrochemicals campaign released a new report, Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle, unmasking the shocking hazards posed by a seemingly innocuous everyday item: the plastic bottle. This report reveals the health, environmental, and climate… Read more »
Defend’s Senior Market Campaigner, OpEd in Common Dreams
Last week the independent media outlet Common Dreams published a piece by Maya Rommwatt, our Senior Market Campaigner, highlighting the nefarious collusion between big oil and big gas. Common Dreams is a leading publication focused on social justice and inspiring critical thinking on economic, social, and civil issues. Communities across America have been struggling to… Read more »
PET Plastic Report
Over the past few months, we tested 20 popular beverages packaged in plastic bottles and found a cancer-causing plastic chemical in every, single bottle. In the beverages we tested, including Pepsi and Coca-Cola brands, we found unsafe levels of a highly toxic chemical used to make plastic bottles for carbonated soft drinks, juices, energy drinks, and bottled water. But the… Read more »
Mark Hyland, Board Chair for Defend Our Health Speaks on PFAS in REI
I’ve been an REI member since 1973 and I still have some of my first favorite purchases, like this cotton anorak, I bought before I was even an REI member. It’s traveled around the world, including Antarctica, and doesn’t contain PFAS/PFOAS. I appreciate REI’s commitment to sustainability and their Opt Outside campaign. However, I’m surprised they… Read more »
Toxic Chemicals and the Future of Environmental Health & Justice with Dr. Leo Trasande
For this year’s Giving Tuesday, Defend Our Health partnered with Dr. Leo Trasande, a professor of pediatrics at NYU’s School of Medicine, to offer a free copy of his book Sicker, Fatter, Poorer along with qualifying donations. Last week, Dr. Trasande appeared alongside Defend Our Health’s Communications Director, Taylor Moore, for a Facebook Live interview… Read more »