# Defend Our Health

> Join Us in Building a Toxic-Free Tomorrow


## Posts

- [What are PFAS?](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/pfas/what-is-pfas-2/): PFAS is highly complex, and we need to tackle this in a comprehensive manner that doesn&#8217;t cause confusion or waste effort. PFAS industry lobbyists are working hard to introduce weak PFAS laws or undermine and block strong PFAS laws in states across the country. Coordinated actions (research, testing, treatment, and policymaking) that use a class-based definition of PFAS are both scientifically accurate and a critical defense against the PFAS industry push to look at each PFAS separately, and only permit treatment or regulation when a significant body of evidence of harm for that one specific PFAS exists. We must address [&hellip;]
- [Massachusetts Delegation Visits Maine](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/events/massachusetts-delegation-visits-maine/): Defend Our Health hosted a visit from a delegation of Massachusetts legislators, department staff, as well as environmental and farm advocates on Tuesday, August 12th, for a day-long event. The event strengthened regional working relationships, garnered significant media interest, and laid the groundwork for Defend to support a bill introduced by Massachusetts Senator Jo Comerford that would ban the land application of sludge in MA and create a fund to support farmers impacted by PFAS. Bill sponsors Senator Comerford and Representative De Rosa, along with about 20 of their colleagues from the legislature, state government, and the nonprofit sector, began [&hellip;]
- [Fashion Scorecard 2025](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/fashion-scorecard-2025/): Have you ever noticed how a lot more of our clothes are made of polyester these days? Or wondered if the clothes your kids wear are free from potentially harmful chemicals? We’ve been curious about these things ourselves, and this motivated us to analyze the policies and practices of ten leading kids’ clothing brands. The result is the first annual Defend Our Kids Fashion Scorecard. The fashion industry uses countless chemicals to make its products, some of them potentially dangerous to human health. Minimal regulation exists to limit what the industry uses. And where it does exist, the limits may [&hellip;]
- [EPA Termination of Environmental Justice for New England Program](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/epa-termination-of-environmental-justice-for-new-england-program/): We are proud to be one of 36 organizations to receive a grant from Environmental Justice for New England (EJforNE), but unfortunately, the EPA terminated the program.&nbsp;Last week, Earth Justice, Southern Environmental Law Center, Public Rights Project, and Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) filed a class action lawsuit&nbsp;against the EPA for unlawfully terminating the Environment and Climate Justice Grant programs despite a Congressional directive to fund them.&nbsp;The challenge seeks the nationwide restoration of the program and would require the administration to reinstate awarded grant agreements.&nbsp; See the press release from our friends at EarthJustice below: Nonprofits, Tribes and Local Governments [&hellip;]
- [Upcoming Event](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/events/upcoming-event/): You’re invited to join Defend Our Health and Island Press for our webinar Defend Our Health: Authors &amp; Friends on Wednesday, July 15th, at 1 PM ET.  Our second conversation will feature reporter Kristina Marusic, author of A New War on Cancer: The Unlikely Heroes Revolutionizing Prevention. An award-winning journalist, Marusic, shows that, collectively, we have the power to prevent many cases of cancer. That’s because two-thirds of all cancer cases are linked to preventable environmental causes from exposure to toxics like PFAS.  Marusic will be joined by Dr. Rachel Criswell, a full-spectrum family medicine physician. Her research focuses on how environmental exposures impact the [&hellip;]
- [Authors &amp; Friends Recap](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/events/authors-friends-recap/): We were thrilled to be joined by author Sharon Udasin last week for a conversation on PFAS in the context of her book Poisoning the Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America. She was joined by Adam Nordell, our farmland contamination campaign manager, who joined our organization as a PFAS-impacted farmer.  If you missed the webinar or would like to watch it again, please enjoy the video below. We hope you’ll join us for our next Author and Friends webinar on July 15th. Learn more and register here.   We’re proud to be a leading organization in the fight against PFAS contamination, and we [&hellip;]
- [Microplastics are disrupting photosynthesis and threatening our food supply](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/microplastics-are-disrupting-photosynthesis-and-threatening-our-food-supply/): Summary&nbsp;An alarming&nbsp;new study&nbsp;published last month in the&nbsp;Proceedings of the National Academy of Science&nbsp;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 DNA, that come from the breakdown of larger plastic. They have been found everywhere in our environment and every organ of our bodies. Plants can take up microplastics, which scientists have suspected may interfere with photosynthesis by blocking sunlight, releasing harmful chemicals, or clogging water [&hellip;]
- [Toxic-Free Tips: Reusables](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/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 manages the FDA.&nbsp;We’ve launched a petition&nbsp;for anyone to sign that will be sent directly to Kennedy. If you haven’t yet signed it, please&nbsp;add your name&nbsp;and share the petition with a friend.&nbsp; Phthalates are known endocrine disruptors and have no business being near our food. Plastics [&hellip;]
- [Farewell to Foam Act](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/farewell-to-foam-act/): Defend Our Health has joined forces with dozens of organizations supporting the Farewell to Foam Act.&nbsp;This national legislation&nbsp;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 the sale of these products beginning in 2028 and assist with the transition to safer alternatives. Expanded polystyrene (EPS, commonly referred to as “plastic foam”) is a petrochemical plastic made from oil and gas. The material is dangerously toxic from inception, and like all other [&hellip;]
- [Thousands sign petition urging The Coca-Cola Company to clean up its toxic plastic packaging](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/market-campaigns/thousands-sign-petition-urging-the-coca-cola-company-to-clean-up-its-toxic-plastic-packaging/): We have brought our concerns about toxic plastic packaging to the doorstep of one of the world’s biggest beverage companies. Today, we delivered our petition, “Tell Coca-Cola: Get rid of any toxic plastic bottles,”&nbsp;to The Coca-Cola Company headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Thousands of us took the time to implore the behemoth beverage brand to start to clean up its potentially toxic plastic packaging. Petition signatories hailed from all fifty states, Puerto Rico and American Samoa territories, and fourteen nations outside the US representing five continents.&nbsp; We urged The Coca-Cola Company to start addressing the possible toxic impacts of its overreliance [&hellip;]
- [ExxonMobil Plastic Production](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/exxonmobil-plastic-production/): Last week, California&nbsp;sued ExxonMobil&nbsp;for its decades-long lie about plastic recycling promises. Plastic waste is a major pollution issue, and it is increasingly evident that&nbsp;we cannot recycle our way out of this crisis. Indeed, experts agree that the only way to combat plastic pollution is by “turning off the tap” of plastic production. Plastic is produced using fossil fuels, and production has increased exponentially over the last several decades. Alarmingly, the fossil fuel industry plans to expand plastic production further, considering plastic their “Plan B” in response to a decreasing demand for oil and gas in favor of renewable energy. The process of [&hellip;]
- [What is PFAS?](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/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 that “nearly all people in the United States have measurable amounts of PFAS in their blood.” PFAS bioaccumulate, meaning they mass in the environment and animals&#8217; bodies. PFAS can lead to health concerns like “kidney cancer, liver disease … ulcerative colitis, thyroid disorders, impacts to [&hellip;]
- [How Plastic Bottle Production Impacts Air Quality](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/how-plastic-bottle-production-impacts-air-quality/): This week is Air Quality Awareness Week. In alignment, we are highlighting the impact of plastic bottle production on air quality. In 2019, The World Health Organization found that&nbsp;99% of the world’s population&nbsp;lived where the WHO air quality guidelines were unmet. They also estimated that 4.2 million premature deaths were caused by outdoor air pollution.&nbsp; According to&nbsp;Vital Strategies, greenhouse gases and other pollutants are released during the production of plastic, worsening air quality and driving climate change and other environmental concerns. Emissions from plastic bottle pollution can have&nbsp;severe health impacts, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and infertility in people who [&hellip;]
- [The Global Plastics Treaty and Respiratory Health](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/the-global-plastics-treaty-and-respiratory-health/): Plastic production, use, and disposal threaten Earth’s communities, air, water, biodiversity, and soils. The Global Plastics Treaty seeks to address the issue of plastic pollution and course-correct our society for generations to come. One area of human life that can benefit significantly from robust global action is respiratory health. Microplastics in the air are detrimental to our respiratory system. According to the Center for International and Environmental Law, while airborne microplastics research is in its early stages, studies on the inhalation of micro- and nanoparticles of plastics show a series of adverse effects along the respiratory tract and beyond, ranging [&hellip;]
- [The Impact of Toxic Emissions on Respiratory Health](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/the-impact-of-toxic-emissions-on-respiratory-health/): Breathing is so second nature to many of us that you may think less about how your respiratory system works and what constitutes a threat to your health. In honor of Respiratory Care Week, we are diving into the impact of toxic emissions on respiratory health! Respiratory Care Week takes place from April 7th to April 13th and is an annual event to honor and recognize the invaluable contributions of respiratory therapists to patient care. Respiratory therapists handle many respiratory illnesses, many of which are linked to air pollution and toxic emissions. According to a report published in the National [&hellip;]
- [Diane Wilson: The Fight Against Formosa Plastics Corporation](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/diane-wilson-the-fight-against-formosa-plastics-corporation/): Diane Wilson&nbsp;is an&nbsp;award-winning&nbsp;environmental activist and author. She has won numerous awards for her work in environmentalism, but initially, this was something she never envisioned herself doing. In 1989, Diane Wilson was a shrimp boat captain at a fish house in Calhoun County, Texas, when a co-worker approached her with an article in their hand. What was the article about? It was the first year the&nbsp;Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)&nbsp;was released, providing detailed information about the toxic waste discharge in her county. The TRI is a resource for learning about toxic chemical releases and pollution prevention activities reported by industrial and federal [&hellip;]
- [The Fight Against PFAS Contamination in Tennessee](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/the-fight-against-pfas-contamination-in-tennessee/): Today, we focus our sights on Tennessee in our ongoing series highlighting PFAS contamination issues nationwide. In 2019, the company 3M admitted that it had illegally released toxic chemicals into the Tennessee River from its Decatur, AL manufacturing plant. 3M did this, although it had been barred from doing so under the US Toxic Substances Control Act, as part of an agreement to allow the production of the chemicals starting in 2009. In 2022, the Sierra Club of Tennessee released a report titled “Toxic PFAS Chemicals Measured in Nashville Fertilizer,” which exposed that the fertilizer sold by Music City Gold [&hellip;]
- [How Plastic Pollution Disproportionately Impacts Communities of Color](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/how-plastic-pollution-disproportionately-impacts-communities-of-color/): In Defend Our Health’s scathing report titled Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle we found that 64% of residents who face serious cancer risks from ethylene oxide omissions (a toxic chemical used in the production of plastic) are people of color. Many of these communities are located along the Gulf Coast, infamously known as “Cancer Alley.” Through a combination of red-lining (a discriminatory practice that consists of the systemic denial of services such as mortgages, service loans, etc.), gentrification, and zoning policies, plastic-producing facilities in the US tend to be located near low-income communities of color, primarily [&hellip;]
- [PFAS Action Act: Sewage Sludge Contamination ](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/pfas/pfas-action-act-sewage-sludge-contamination/): PFAS contamination via sewage sludge has impacted the lives of many farmers in Maine and across the county, so much so that a sludge crisis has ravaged multiple states. The biggest question on your mind may be, “How does this happen?.” Sewage sludge is the leftover contaminant from treating wastewater. Whenever we flush anything down our drains (soap, cleaning products, etc.), most of the United States relies on sewer systems to transport the wastewater from homes into sewage treatment plants. According to Food and Water Watch, the U.S. generates millions of tons of sludge annually. In many states, it’s common [&hellip;]
- [How the Global Plastics Treaty Can Change Our Relationship With Plastic For The Better](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/how-the-global-plastics-treaty-can-change-our-relationship-with-plastic-for-the-better/): As we inch closer to the fourth session of the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations, it is important to understand our current relationship with plastic, how we got here, and how the Global Plastics Treaty can improve our relationship with plastic. Our dependence on plastic production from fossil fuels began in the 1960s, and for the past 65 years, we have seen an increase in plastic pollution through air, soil, water, and aquatic animals. According to Biomed Central, because of its [plastics] durability, it is both ephemeral (short-lived) and enduring. It will outlast its useful life, thus turning it into long-lasting [&hellip;]
- [Defend Our Health welcomes new President and CEO](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/defend-our-health-welcomes-new-president-and-ceo/): Defend Our Health is proud to announce the hiring of Emily Carey Perez de Alejo as the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the nonprofit public health and social justice organization. The organization’s founder and outgoing executive director, Mike Belliveau, will move into a new staff role as Founder and Senior Strategist. Carey Perez de Alejo&nbsp;comes to Defend as a highly accomplished environmental public health professional with more than 15 years of experience spearheading complex policy, strategy, and process improvement projects in healthcare, academia, non-profit, and governmental settings.&nbsp; Her first day on the job at Defend Our Health will be February [&hellip;]
- [Defend’s 5-Year Reflection: Our Track Record on Solving The PFAS Crisis](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/defends-5-year-reflection-our-track-record-on-solving-the-pfas-crisis/): Over the past five years, Defend Our Health has lived up to its name by consistently advocating for the right to equal access to safe food and drinking water. Defend has led the nation in effectively protecting public health and ensuring justice for people harmed by ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl) for citizens across the country. As we begin our work in 2024, we want to reflect on all of the accomplishments we’ve accumulated so far! 2019 In 2019, we met Fred Stone, a third-generation dairy farmer whose farm had been impacted by PFAS contamination. We helped [&hellip;]
- [The Fight Against PFAS Contamination in South Carolina](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/the-fight-against-pfas-contamination-in-south-carolina/): PFAS contamination is an issue that is impacting farmlands all across the nation. From Maine to New Mexico, the rise in PFAS contamination has reached a crisis level and is impacting U.S. citizens from all backgrounds of life. Today, we are focusing our sights on South Carolina. According to The State, recent testing in South Carolina has confirmed ‘forever chemical’ pollution in the soil and groundwater of hundreds of acres of farmland in Darlington County. The use of sludge fertilizer has been an ongoing issue in the state of South Carolina for decades. 30 years ago, the Galey and Lord [&hellip;]
- [Defend is Hiring a Director of Development and Community Engagement](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/defend-is-hiring-a-director-of-development-and-community-engagement/): Defend Our Health is hiring a Director of Development and Community Outreach. Defend is a public health and social justice nonprofit that works to create a world where all people are thriving, with equal access to safe food and drinking water, healthy homes, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly. We apply the best science and grassroots power in strategic campaigns that persuade decision-makers in government and industry to advance solutions. The role is particularly focused on developing and building a major donor program, and engaging staff and board in fundraising participation. The salary is $100k &#8211; $120k, the organization [&hellip;]
- [Spooky Facts About Plastic Pollution](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/spooky-facts-about-plastic-pollution/): Happy Halloween! Ghosts and ghouls are not the only spooky things to be aware of. Plastic pollution impacts us from the water we drink to the air we breathe. Plastic production is projected to triple globally by 2060, and with the current plastic pollution crisis we’re facing, immediate action must be taken by corporations all across the globe. Hold on tight, because here are some spooky facts about plastic pollution that everyone should know. &#x1f383; Only 9% of all plastic produced is recycled “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle” has been a slogan tied to the personal responsibility of consumers for decades [&hellip;]
- [PFAS Impacted Farmers Hold Press Conference in Michigan](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/events/pfas-impacted-farmers-hold-press-conference-in-michigan/): Yesterday, PFAS impacted farmers from across the country are gathered to speak to the media about what the contamination has meant for their livelihoods and their businesses in a press conference. Impacted farmers and policy experts will speak about the economic and health impacts of the contamination of farmland with the so called ‘forever chemicals.’&nbsp;Speakers addressed the policy solutions to this environmental health crisis.&nbsp;Impacted farmers have gathered this week in East Lansing for&nbsp;MSU Center for PFAS Research’s Annual Symposium, which is organized by Michigan State University, Maine Farmland Trust, USDA and University of Maine. PFAS are a class of manmade [&hellip;]
- [4 Ways Plastic Bottles Harm Us In Our Day-to-Day Life](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/4-ways-plastic-bottles-harm-us-in-our-day-to-day-life/): Plastic bottles are everywhere, from soda bottles to hair care products. As consumers, we tend to only think about plastic bottles once we discard them, with constant reminders of: “Don’t forget to recycle!” But do we really know how plastic bottles impact us in our day-to-day lives? Here are four essential ways:&nbsp; 1. TOXIC CHEMICALS INSIDE OF PLASTIC SODA BOTTLES We know that plastic bottles contribute to plastic pollution heavily. Many states across the country prioritize recycling as a way to combat that. But that’s once you’ve used the plastic bottle. What if that same plastic bottle has been harming [&hellip;]
- [Community Clean-Up with Community Conservation Initiative     ](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/events/community-clean-up-with-community-conservation-initiative/): Last month, Defend’s organizer, Sergio Cahueque, joined the Community Conservation Initiative leaders for their #TheCCINeighnorhoodCleanUpProgram in Deer Oaks Park. This community clean-up is part of an ongoing effort to take care of the environment, and we are grateful for the invitation to talk to impacted communities about our Healthy Housing program. The Community Conservation Initiative works to support immigrant and asylum seeker communities in Maine to become long-term environmental stewards and protectors of their natural indoors and outdoors. Their work includes educating and bringing awareness to the challenges and opportunities for household waste sorting, recycling, reuse, and rethinking the concept [&hellip;]
- [Defend Our Health Featured on ‘What You’re Eating’ Podcast](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/defend-our-health-featured-on-what-youre-eating-podcast/): Hosted by Jerusha Klemperer, in episode 16 titled “PFAS: The ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Your Food,” Food Print spoke to our campaign manager, Adam Nordell, to focus their attention on Maine to learn more about PFAS and how the chemicals have ended up in well water, on farms, in food, and ultimately in people’s bodies. Adam (alongside impacted farmer Fred Stone, Sarah Alexander and Caleb Goossen of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and policy expert Patty Lovera) delve into the impact that PFAS contamination has had on Songbird Farm.  “Ultimately, that discovery resulted in our farm completely shutting down. [&hellip;]
- [Defend Our Health Featured on Green Living with Tee Podcast](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/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 as she unpacked our recently released report titled Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle. Maya highlighted the negative impacts that plastic bottles have on our health, the environment, and communities of color who are subjected to cancer-causing toxic emissions during the PET [&hellip;]
- [Internship Reflection and 2023 Legislative Cycle](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/internship-reflection-and-2023-legislative-cycle/): For the past few months I had the opportunity to work with Defend Our Health as an intern, where I focused on supporting priority bills in Maine’s 2023 legislative session. With my background in environmental health, and my current work as a public health analyst and a Physician’s for Social Responsibility Next Generation Climate Ambassador, I came to Defend looking to engage in work concerning PFAS contamination in Maine. PFAS contamination affects the health and well-being of people across the state, in particular marginalized communities who are more susceptible to its effects.&nbsp; Over the last few months, I have been [&hellip;]
- [The Fight Against PFAS Contamination in The Gulf Coast](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/the-fight-against-pfas-contamination-in-the-gulf-coast/): Gulf Coast communities have long been subjected to the iron grip of petrochemical plants and oil companies. These communities, often BIPOC and low-income, are heavily subjected to the health impacts of both air and water contamination. Around 200 million Americans likely receive water that is contaminated with PFAS and the Gulf Coast is no stranger to this fight. Read below to see how four states within the Gulf Coast have been tackling PFAS contamination and how you can get involved in their respective fights!&nbsp; Alabama In 2016, a Harvard University study found that Alabama had the 4th highest level of [&hellip;]
- [The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle Webinar](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/safe-food/the-chemical-footprint-of-a-plastic-bottle-webinar/): Last month, we released our report titled &#8220;Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle&#8221; which explores the many health harms of plastics production, the potential health effects of consuming beverages in plastic bottles, and dangers to workers and communities from recycling and disposal. Las week, report co-author Mike Belliveau, Defend&#8217;s Executive Director was joined by Port Arthur Community Action Network&#8217;s Executive Director John Beard Jr., who shared his experience of exposures to chemicals used to produce PET plastic beverage bottles on a webinar hosted by the Collaborative for Health &amp; Environment. Both speakers discussed findings that exposures to these chemicals falls disproportionately on [&hellip;]
- [Minnesota Becomes the Second State to Ban PFAS - With A Little Help From Maine](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/minnesota-becomes-the-second-state-to-ban-pfas-with-a-little-help-from-maine/): Since 2021, Maine has been the first and only state in the nation to ban the use of ‘forever chemicals’ in all products. Until now! On May 17, 2023, the Minnesota legislature passed an environment and energy package, HF 2310 “Environment, Natural Resources, Climate, and Energy Finance and Policy Bill,” which includes a total ban on all non-essential uses of PFAS and will phase out the use of PFAS in firefighting foam. According to CBS News, this bill also includes funding to help clean up PFAS contaminated water. As a leader in the fight against PFAS nationwide, Minnesota’s bill was [&hellip;]
- [Defend Our Health Releases First-Ever Study that Reveals the Hard Truths Behind Plastic Bottles](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/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 threats caused throughout the lifecycle of common plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate or PET – from the hazardous air emissions released in the petrochemical manufacturing process to the cancer-causing toxic chemicals leaked in the consumption and final waste stages. The report also unveils how chemical [&hellip;]
- [PFAS WEEK RECAP: Defend Joins Advocates in Week-long Testimonies on PFAS Related Bills](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/pfas-week-recap-defend-joins-advocates-in-week-long-testimonies-on-pfas-related-bills/): The week of April 24th, Defend joined legislators, impacted citizens, scientists and health advocates as they testified on a number of PFAS related bills to the Environment and Natural Resources Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee. As reported on by Portland Press Herald, concerned constituents faced pushback from business groups that want lawmakers to roll back key provisions of the state’s first-in-the-nation ban on products containing harmful forever chemicals. LD 1503 “An Act To Stop Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution” is the first-in-the-nation bill that Defend Our Health championed for in 2021 that posed a significant step forward [&hellip;]
- [The Fight Against PFAS Contamination Across the Country](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/the-fight-against-pfas-contamination-across-the-country/): PFAS contamination is an issue that plagues every corner of our country. It destroys families and livelihoods without qualms. According to a recent study, around 200 million Americans likely receive water that is contaminated with PFAS. And while this is an issue that affects Americans across the country, it is one that adversely impacts low-income communities, communities of color, and farming communities. Read&nbsp;below to see how a handful of states across the country are tackling PFAS and what you can do to get involved!&nbsp; Maine Maine has been a leader in the fight against PFAS contamination. Although Maine is currently experiencing a PFAS sludge crisis due to the [&hellip;]
- [Defend Joined Dozens of Advocates in Support Of LD 132](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/defend-joined-dozens-of-advocates-in-support-of-ld-132/): On Tuesday, Defend joined dozens of impacted families, farmers, and activists who testified in support of LD 132 &#8220;An Act to Require Health Insurance Carriers to Provide Coverage for Blood Testing for Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances.” This bill would require insurance companies to cover the cost of PFAS blood serum testing. Advocates urged that a mandate must be placed on health insurance companies to ensure that access to blood testing for PFAS exposure is guaranteed for all Mainers. As reported on by&nbsp;WGME News,&nbsp;impacted farmers, firefighters, activists, medical professionals and elected officials&nbsp;gathered at the Maine Statehouse to speak before the Joint [&hellip;]
- [PFAS Testing in Trenton, Maine](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/pfas-testing-in-trenton-maine/): Defend Our Health has been working with community group PFAS Free Trenton (PFT) on securing community wide PFAS testing in the community. The group of Trenton residents started meeting after Trenton Elementary School reported elevated levels of the &#8216;forever chemicals&#8217; in 2019. The school’s water showed levels of 33.9 parts per trillion, which is above Maine’s standard. A water filtration system has since been installed to make the water safe to drink.   After working with the select board, PFT secured the use of $20,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money allocated to the town. This money will go [&hellip;]
- [Conversation with Nse Witherspoon, Executive Director of Children's Environmental Health Network](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/conversation-with-nse-witherspoon-executive-director-of-childrens-environmental-health-network/): Following the release of our report, &#8220;Problem Plastic: How Polyester and PET Plastic Can be Unsafe, Unjust, and Unsustainable Materials,”&nbsp;Defend’s Senior Communications Director, Taylor Moore, had the opportunity to chat with Nsedu &#8220;Nse&#8221; Obot Witherspoon,&nbsp;the Executive Director of the&nbsp;Children’s Environmental Health Network&nbsp;(CEHN).&nbsp; For the past 23 years, Nse has served as a key spokesperson for children’s vulnerabilities and the need for their protection, conducting presentations and lectures across the country.&nbsp;She is a leader in the field of children’s environmental health, serving on the External Science Board for the Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) NIH Research work. She is [&hellip;]
- [Defend's Director of Research, OpEd in Civil Eats](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/market-campaigns/defends-director-of-research-oped-in-civil-eats/): Defend&#8217;s Director of Research, Roopa Krithivasan, was featured last week in Civil Eats – a daily news source for critical thought about the American food system.&nbsp; Krithivasan pointedly asks a health-conscious audience to consider the toxic impacts of plastic-bottled sodas. Most consumers are well aware of the health risks posed by soda’s sugar levels, but remain in the dark when it comes to the presence of potentially cancer-causing chemicals in plastic bottle packaging. A significant percentage (30%) of plastic bottles are recycled, and powerful brands like Coca-Cola have become well-versed in the PR benefits of lauding their “100% recycled” content. [&hellip;]
- [2022 Fall Brunch Celebration](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/events/2022-fall-brunch-celebration/): This Sunday, Defend Our Health hosted an in-person event ceremony at our 2022 Fall Brunch Celebration! Event attendees enjoyed an outdoor event at Broadturn Farm with live music by Glen Loper and Bethany Waickman, a delicious brunch buffet, and an open bloody mary and mimosa bars while celebrating the victories we have accomplished over the last 20 years. For two decades, Defend Our Health has fought for healthy products, clean water, safe food, and a toxic-free environment – most recently tackling PFAS pollution across Maine and releasing a report outlining the dangers of petrochemical plastics. We were thrilled to gather [&hellip;]
- [Defend's Senior Market Campaigner, OpEd in Common Dreams](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/defends-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 make ends meet throughout the pandemic. We’ve witnessed a historical peak in inflation and rising sticker prices of nearly all consumer goods, and especially staggering numbers at the gas pump.&nbsp; But while families are working overtime to pay rent and put food on the table, [&hellip;]
- [PET Plastic Report](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/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&nbsp;every, single bottle. In the beverages we tested, including&nbsp;Pepsi&nbsp;and&nbsp;Coca-Cola&nbsp;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.&nbsp; But the problem doesn’t stop there! This chemical additive, known as&nbsp;antimony&nbsp;(which is known to be toxic to the liver and heart), is used to speed the final reaction to make&nbsp;PET&nbsp;plastic for bottles and other packaging, AND polyester for clothing and stuffed animals for example.&nbsp; The bigger problem? [&hellip;]
- [Welcome Summer 22' Organizing Interns](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/welcome-summer-22-organizing-interns/): Or team is very excited to introduce our summer interns working on the Safe Drinking Water campaign and our new Healthy Homes program. Caitlyn Hanley is a junior at Bates College majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in Educational Studies. She grew up in Portland, ME and her interest on environmental issues comes from an interest in Agricultural Systems and past experience working in farms in Maine and Vermont. Mads McDonough is a junior at Colby College. She&#8217;s majoring in Global Studies with a minor in Environmental Studies. She is particularly interested in the intersection of legislative work and [&hellip;]
- [2022 Legislative Victories](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/2022-legislative-victories/): It was a busy second session of the 130th Maine legislature! Defend worked hard with our friends in the legislature to move policy that will help protect Mainers from exposure to toxic chemicals. We had an incredibly successful session, passing first-in-the-nation legislation banning sludge spreading, advocating for protections for our tribal neighbors, and working to make sure everyone has access to safe drinking water.  We worked closely with Rep. Bill Pluecker (I-Warren) on legislation to ban the land application of PFAS-contaminated sludge and sludge-derived compost. This first-in-the-nation legislation, LD 1911, will protect Maine&#8217;s farmland from further contamination. This legislation was [&hellip;]
- [Mark Hyland, Board Chair for Defend Our Health Speaks on PFAS in REI](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/mark-hyland-board-chair-for-defend-our-health-speaks-on-pfas-in-rei/): I&#8217;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.&nbsp;&nbsp;It’s traveled around the world, including Antarctica, and doesn’t contain PFAS/PFOAS. I appreciate REI&#8217;s commitment to sustainability and their Opt Outside campaign. However, I&#8217;m surprised they have made only modest commitments to tackle the issue of PFAS ingredients in their products.&nbsp; PFAS is a huge problem in my home state of Maine where multi-generation dairy farms have closed forever due to this &#8220;forever chemical”.&nbsp;And I can only wonder how much PFAS [&hellip;]
- [2022 Priority Bills](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/2022-priority-bills/): PFAS Bills: LD 1911&nbsp;&#8220;An Act To Prohibit the Contamination of Clean Soils with So-called Forever Chemicals.&#8221; This bill would ban the spreading of sludge and sludge-derived compost on farmland that contributes to PFAS contamination. It would also require that wastewater treatment facilities and other industry that discharge effluent into Maine&#8217;s waterways test that effluent for PFAS and report it to the Maine DEP. LD 1875&nbsp;&#8220;An Act To Address Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Pollution from State-owned Solid Waste Disposal Facilities.&#8221; This bill sets up a study to look at the best way to treat landfill leachate for PFAS and requires a [&hellip;]
- [Interview with GWU scientist on links between fast food and toxic chemicals](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/safe-food/interview-with-gwu-scientist-on-links-between-fast-food-and-toxic-chemicals/): Recently, Dr. Lariah Edwards, Post-Doctoral Scientist in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at George Washington University, a lead author of a&nbsp;new study on phthalates, spoke with&nbsp;Health Europa&nbsp;to share details on her team’s investigation into the issue of phthalates and other chemical plasticisers found in fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Chipotle.&nbsp; Phthalates are associated with several health risks and more than a decade of monitoring has shown that BIPOC communities are more highly exposed to phthalates than white people across the entire U.S population. The interview with Dr. Edwards emphasizes that though there has been legislation to restrict phthalates in certain [&hellip;]
- [Maine Hearing: Experts & Impacted Residents Testify for Equity, Justice and Movement on Tackling PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/maine-hearing-experts-impacted-residents-testify-for-equity-justice-and-movement-on-tackling-pfas-forever-chemicals/): On Monday, legislators, impacted citizens, scientists and health advocates urged the Environment and Natural Resources Committee to continue to move the state forward in the fight against toxic PFAS, a group of man-made chemicals that have been linked to negative health impacts, including several types of cancer and decreased immune response to vaccines.&nbsp; Defend has been tackling the issues associated with PFAS in Maine since early 2019 after contamination was discovered on the farmland of farmer&nbsp;Fred Stone&nbsp;in Arundel, Maine. We’ve seen success with the Maine Legislature passing several of our bills, including the first in the world law to eliminate [&hellip;]
- [Our 2021 Victories](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/our-2021-victories/): 2021 has been an eventful year full of numerous victories and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing supporters!&nbsp; Our supporters helped make all of these victories possible through various means of support and by gifting us the funds to run these ambitious campaigns.&nbsp; We are very proud of the work Defend has done this year towards ending the chemical crisis—and we’re just getting started. There’s so much in store for next year, and we’re thrilled to have you continue with us on this journey!&nbsp; Let’s count down the new year together! Now until December 31st, our supporters can [&hellip;]
- [Toxic Chemicals and the Future of Environmental Health & Justice with Dr. Leo Trasande](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/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 to promote the giveaway and discuss his comprehensive research on the impacts of chemicals on hormones in our bodies. Dr. Trasande’s work has been revolutionary in the field of environmental health. He has conducted groundbreaking studies that explore the various health impacts that phthalates have [&hellip;]
- [Oh, Deer! Venison joins fish and beef on list of contaminated food in Maine](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/safe-food/oh-deer-venison-joins-fish-and-beef-on-list-of-contaminated-food-in-maine/): Last week, news broke that deer in central Maine showed high levels of PFAS, followed by Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife deer hunting advisory not to eat any venison harvested in the Fairfield area and to discard any deer killed there earlier in the season. The news shocked and angered many Maine hunters. But this revelation is just the tip of the iceberg. PFAS is a much larger problem in food &#8211; affecting all Mainers, whether they get food from the woods or from the store. And right now, PFAS in food is a problem that&#8217;s largely being neglected. [&hellip;]
- [Dairy Reporter Gets the Inside Scoop on Toxic-Free Food Contact](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/dairy-reporter-gets-the-inside-scoop-on-toxic-free-food-contact/): Last week, Defend Our Health’s research analyst, Roopa Krithivasan, appeared on Dairy Reporter’s podcast Dairy Dialog to discuss Toxic-Free Food Contact, a new web-based resource that provides guidance to the food and beverage industry on how to identify safer and more sustainable food packaging, processing equipment and food service ware. The easy-to-use resource is, “Relevant to anyone, anywhere in the food supply chain,” Krithivasan tells podcast host Jim Cornall. “Whether you’re a restaurant, a food brand, a processor, or if you’re a dairy or other farm.” She discusses how toxic chemicals like phthalates and PFAS can be present in packaging [&hellip;]
- [Colby College Professor Calls For Federal Action on PFAS](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/colby-college-professor-calls-for-federal-action-on-pfas/): This week, Dr. Véronique Plesch, a professor at Colby College and resident of Fairfield, Maine,&nbsp;shared&nbsp;her experience with PFAS contamination in the Portland Press Herald.&nbsp; Dr. Plesch is one of many Maine residents who have been affected by Maine’s “PFAS contamination crisis,” as she called it. After requesting a testing kit, Plesch discovered that the amount of PFAS in her drinking water exceeded the maximum state limit of 20 parts per trillion (ppt). Previously, there had been no legal maximum limit in Maine, only an “unenforceable guidance” of 70 ppt for just two types of PFAS. But thanks to&nbsp;LD 129&nbsp;—a new [&hellip;]
- [John Oliver and Danny DeVito Tackle PFAS on Last Week Tonight!](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/john-oliver-and-danny-devito-tackle-pfas-on-last-week-tonight/): Spotlight on PFAS This week, we were thrilled to see 13-time Emmy Award winner John Oliver and actor Danny DeVito discuss the dangers of PFAS on Oliver’s popular HBO show Last Week Tonight! PFAS, a class of chemicals that stand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are often used in food packaging and household products. High exposure to these chemicals has been linked to an array of health issues including cancer, infertility, immune suppression and more. Exposure may even cause a decreased response to vaccines, as Oliver pointed out on his show. PFAS are also often referred to as “forever chemicals” with [&hellip;]
- [Plastic Waste – A Case of the Tail Wagging the Dog?](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/market-campaigns/plastic-waste-a-case-of-the-tail-wagging-the-dog/): A&nbsp;new report&nbsp;just released by Greenpeace shows how fast-moving consumer goods companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestlé are fueling the radical expansion of plastic production by ExxonMobil, Dow, and other petrochemical manufacturers. Across the lifecycle of fossil-fueled plastics, the implications are stark – more climate change, harm to human health, environmental injustice, and plastic waste.&nbsp;&nbsp;The growing production, use, and disposal of petrochemical plastics adds to serious ongoing impacts: Greenhouse gas emissions, currently equivalent to about 200 coal-fired power plants, are projected to grow to 10% to 15% of the entire fossil carbon budget by 2050, says a&nbsp;report&nbsp;by the Center for International [&hellip;]
- [Testing for PFAS in Fairfield: why transparency matters](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/testing-for-pfas-in-fairfield-why-transparency-matters/): If you&#8217;ve been following our work here at Defend Our Health, you know that we&#8217;ve been deeply involved with the widespread PFAS contamination in Fairfield, ME, since we found out that the past use of municipal and industrial sludge as fertilizer from the 1970s-2000s destroyed Fred Stone’s family dairy farm.  From the start, we have joined residents from Fairfield and nearby towns in asking for transparency around the PFAS problem &#8212;&nbsp;how widespread is the problem really? And how bad is it?&nbsp; Following the building pressure to investigate PFAS, Maine&#8217;s Department of Environmental Protection began testing&nbsp;potentially contaminated sites in and around Fairfield. [&hellip;]
- [Back to School – What’s in your dairy?](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/safe-food/back-to-school-whats-in-your-dairy/): Dairy products are ubiquitous in kids’ lunchboxes and school meals – milk, yogurt, string cheese, boxed or pre-made mac and cheese &#8212; the list goes on.&nbsp;Kids aged 2-11&nbsp;make up the largest age demographic of dairy consumers, consuming an average of 1.4 cups of milk a day. But as many of us prepare to send our kids off to school this fall with milk money or packaged cheese in their lunchboxes, it’s important for consumers to know what’s in our dairy.&nbsp; The bad news is that dairy does seem to be contaminated with chemicals that have no business being there. This [&hellip;]
- [Here's what we've won!](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/heres-what-weve-won/): Maine’s leading the nation by dumping a cancer-linked toxic chemical. The Maine Legislature passed a law to eliminate toxic PFAS from products we use every day. We’re the first state to get this done! (LD 1503) Maine will also protect our firefighters, whose risk of cancer is elevated by exposure to toxic chemicals. No longer will they use firefighting foam containing PFAS—foam that has contaminated soil and water nationwide. (LD 1505) Drinking water will get safer in schools and homes. Maine now has one of the strictest limits for PFAS in drinking water. It will no longer be legal to [&hellip;]
- [The cost of inaction: Arsenic in water](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/the-cost-of-inaction-arsenic-in-water/): In the last blog post on lead in drinking water, we talked about how our drinking water isn’t as safe as it should be to protect children’s brains. The EPA says that 15 parts per billion (ppb) of lead in water is good enough; but science has long known that no amount of lead is safe, and 15 ppb is nowhere near enough to protect growing minds. Lead is far from the only toxin for which our federal standards are appallingly inadequate. How did we end up with such weak limits on toxic chemicals in our water? And what are we [&hellip;]
- [Back to School: Lead in drinking water](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/back-to-school-lead-in-drinking-water/): Water fountains are a common fixture of public schools in the US, providing water access to the over 50 million kids attending public schools across the country. In fact, schools that offer federal free lunch programs are required to ensure that students have access to drinking water at school.  In theory, this should be great for everyone: public schools should have safe water because they&#8217;re supplied by community water systems, and parents should be able to send their kids to school with confidence that they&#8217;ll have access to safe water fountains to stay hydrated. Unfortunately, that&#8217;s not always the case. [&hellip;]
- [Back to School: Packing lunches](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/back-to-school-packing-lunches/): If your kid is off to school this fall, you might be thinking about what to put in lunch boxes. And you may be trying to figure out what kinds of packaging are safe for snacks and meals. Here are some quick facts about different kinds of packaging that might help you through your lunch packing quandaries.&nbsp; Single-use plastics&nbsp;are, unsurprisingly, pretty much the worst. Even with plastics that are labeled as recyclable, the waste created is tremendous. For many kinds of plastic, the manufacturing process is highly polluting and harms the health of communities that live near plastic manufacturing plants. [&hellip;]
- [What's in your fish?](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/whats-in-your-fish/): Fishing is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the nation, and if you happen to live in Maine, you have thousands of miles of rivers and streams and hundreds of freshwater lakes at your disposal to drop your line. For nearly 40 million Americans, fishing represents an important connection to nature, a meditative experience, and a valuable source of food.&nbsp;&nbsp; Yet, what many people don’t know is that our freshwater, and the fish that live in them, are loaded with toxic contamination from industrial discharge, wastewater, and runoff. Subsistence fishing &#8212; traditionally a reliable, cheap, sustainable, and [&hellip;]
- [Toxic Chemicals and How to Fight Back with Dr. Shanna H. Swan](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/toxic-chemicals-and-how-to-fight-back-with-dr-shanna-h-swan/): This week, we interviewed Dr. Shanna H. Swan, professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. One of the world&#8217;s leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists, she&#8217;s the incredible scientist whose new book, Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race, is tackling the issue of how toxic chemicals are hijacking our health and fertility. Defend Our Health&#8217;s national campaign director, Brandon Moore, spoke with Dr. Swan about how these chemicals enter our [&hellip;]
- [Their Journey for Justice](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/their-journey-for-justice/): Ashley Gooldrup and her fiancé Troy Reny&nbsp;bought their home in Fairfield, Maine just over a year ago. Set on six acres of open field, with breathtaking views, it was the first home they had purchased, and it felt like a dream come true. But last fall they got a phone call that turned their lives upside down. “The state Department of Environmental Protection said they needed to come out and test our drinking water,” Ashley says. “A few weeks later, a department scientist called and said to stop drinking it, immediately.”&nbsp;Ashley and Troy, their pets, and the friends and loved [&hellip;]
- [Maine Legislation: PFAS in Products](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/maine-legislation-pfas-in-products/): As leading retailers ban sales of toxic PFAS products, health advocates call on Maine to follow suit With home improvement retailer Lowe’s announcing the end of the sale of PFAS carpet treatments, legislature urged to adopt bill to broadly end use in products Portland, Maine &#8212; On the heels of actions from leading retailer Lowe’s, Defend Our Health is urging Maine to level the playing field by prohibiting unnecessary toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals” from commonly used products.  In a recent update to its&nbsp;safer chemicals policy, Lowe’s has banned the sale of fabric protectors that contain [&hellip;]
- [Expert & Advocate Testimony on PFAS in Drinking Water](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/expert-advocate-testimony-on-pfas-in-drinking-water/): Last week, legislators, impacted citizens, scientists and health advocates urged Maine&#8217;s Health and Human Services Committee to follow the policies of nearby states in the fight against drinking water contamination. Maine officials have been using an outdated &#8220;advisory&#8221; level from the USEPA of 70 parts per trillion, while experts and advocates are pushing to both reduce that number and establish a legally binding standard in the state. Below are testimonies from top scientists, experts and advocates on two bills tackling the issues of PFAS contamination, calling for bold state action to protect the water supply and livelihood of Mainers:
- [Maine Hearing: Experts & Residents Testify for Safe Drinking Water](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/maine-hearing-legislative-committee-heard-expert-community-testimonies-on-competing-standards-for-pfas-in-drinking-water/): This week, legislators, impacted citizens, scientists and health advocates urged the Health and Human Services Committee to follow the policies of nearby states in the fight against drinking water contamination. The committee convened in a public hearing that involved two bills related to health-harming toxic chemicals known as PFAS. A bill on behalf of the administration would set a limit based on outdated USEPA numbers, while health advocates pushed for a bill that sets lower numbers in line with nearby states. Impacted Mainers, including a resident from Fairfield whose well water tested high for PFAS contamination, environmental health scientists, farming [&hellip;]
- [Press Briefing: Outlining Bills on Forever Chemicals](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/press-briefing-outlining-a-slate-of-bills-to-address-crises-surrounding-pfas-forever-chemicals/): This week we held a briefing with legislators, advocates, and public health experts to brief the press on PFAS legislation. The briefing covered seven bills being introduced to Maine’s 130th&nbsp;Legislature related to health-harming toxic chemicals known as PFAS that are currently making headlines in Maine and nationwide. Collectively the bills implement and strengthen key recommendations from the Governor’s PFAS&nbsp;Task Force Report&nbsp;issued in January 2020 around drinking water, use of PFAS in products, and contamination of farm land. &nbsp; Speakers at the briefing included: Representative Lori Gramlich, LMSW (D-Old Orchard Beach), who is introducing legislation addressing PFAS in products, firefighting foam, [&hellip;]
- [We Won! Federal Court Overturns Trump EPA Decision to Hide Chemical and Plastic Industry’s Ongoing Uses of Asbestos](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/we-won-federal-court-overturns-trump-epa-decision-to-hide-chemical-and-plastic-industrys-ongoing-uses-of-asbestos/): Just in time to brighten the holiday season and New Year, a federal judge ruled in our favor, declaring the US EPA’s failure to collect information necessary to regulate asbestos “arbitrary and capricious.” Explaining why this is exciting takes some back story. Most of us know that asbestos is bad for you. It’s a potent carcinogen, causing especially devastating forms of lung cancer. In fact, the failure of the US EPA to adequately protect us from asbestos helped drive Congress to pass reforms to the nation’s chemical law, the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA), in 2016. So, when the US [&hellip;]
- [Defend Our Health: A new name and stronger commitment. Join us!](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/defend-our-health-a-new-name-stronger-commitment/): Introducing Defend Our Health – we’re continuing the fight for safe food and drinking water, healthy homes, toxic-free and climate-friendly products. This has been a tumultuous and traumatic year for the world and our country. But one thing has shone through – the grassroots energy and people power to make change and deliver justice. And one thing is clearer than ever. There’s nothing more important than the health and safety of those we love. When the pandemic struck, we joined with many others to demand stronger protection for essential workers. If science and strategy had prevailed then, more than one [&hellip;]
- [Grant Opportunity: Grassroots Work for Safe Food and Water](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/grant-opportunity-grassroots-work-for-safe-food-and-water/): We’re thrilled to announce that this year, we are able to offer mini grants of&nbsp;up to $2,500&nbsp;to grassroots leaders and community groups fighting for water and food that is free of toxic chemicals. These mini grants will be awarded to support grassroots organizing, research, testing, or advocacy to help rid our food supply and drinking water of toxic chemicals. Eligible Groups:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Small volunteer-driven grassroots groups, and individuals committed to engaging others in their community in collective action, are eligible. Larger nonprofit groups with paid staff may also be considered if primarily serving historically under-represented communities. Eligible Expenses: Costs that will [&hellip;]
- [Black Lives Matter](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/black-lives-matter/): Black lives matter. Defend Our Health stands with Black communities in this time of grief and mourning. We are horrified by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many others. We demand accountability and justice be served. Systemic racism in the United States creates a public health crisis that has needlessly cost so many people of color their lives and devastated families and communities across the nation. In our work, we know that too many Black, Brown, and Indigenous people suffer ill health and die younger from the combined effect of environmental pollution, lack of [&hellip;]
- [Upcoming: Health Advocates Discuss 'Dark Waters' and PFAS Pollution](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/upcoming-health-advocates-discuss-dark-waters-and-pfas-pollution/): Health advocates and experts will discuss the film Dark Waters and the ongoing fight against toxic forever chemicals&nbsp;at our free online panel discussion on July 1. WHEN: Wednesday, July 1, at 6pm.TICKETS:&nbsp;Register here&nbsp;before Friday, June 26, and you&#8217;ll receive a link to view the film ahead of the discussion.&nbsp;One registered guest of the panel discussion will win an autographed copy of Rob&#8217;s bestselling book&nbsp;Exposure. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway,&nbsp;Dark Waters&nbsp;is the true David-and-Goliath story of a small West Virginia town that took on the chemical company DuPont, with the help of environmental lawyer Rob Bilott, for poisoning their drinking [&hellip;]
- [Webinar: Intro to Public Health & Environmental Health](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/webinar-intro-to-public-health-environmental-health/): Thanks to everyone who attended our webinar this week with the Maine Public Health Association, &#8220;Promoting Health and Preventing Disease: How Public and Environmental Health Work Together.&#8221; Click here to watch the full webinar recording. Panelists:Dr. Lani Graham, MD, MPHSarah Rines (Maine Public Health Association)Patrick MacRoy, MS (Defend Our Health) In this introduction to environmental health and public health, our panelists discussed how public health and environmental health&nbsp;promote our overall health and well-being and prevent disease. They also discussed the importance of prevention and what that looks like, and how a strong public health system can save lives by preventing [&hellip;]
- [Helpful Resources for Right Now](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-stories/helpful-resources-for-right-now/): It goes without saying that we&#8217;re all stressed and frightened as we work to protect ourselves, our families, and our communities during this unprecedented global pandemic. As a public health organization, we wanted to let you know a few important ways you can protect your health: For up-to-date information on public health recommendations, please refer to the&nbsp;guidelines&nbsp;from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control &amp; Prevention (CDC).&nbsp;If you are above age 65, which is at higher risk of complications from the coronavirus, please refer to these&nbsp;specific recommendations&nbsp;from the CDC. If you are pregnant or know someone who is, please refer to [&hellip;]
- [How Prioritizing Public Health Saves Lives](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/how-prioritizing-public-health-saves-lives/): As all of us hunker down and do our best to “flatten the curve,” I hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy. I thank you, more than ever, for your support of the Strategy Center’s work. On my mind, as I work from home and check in with loved ones, is that the coronavirus pandemic is the strongest reminder that I hope any of us will ever experience: prioritizing public health saves lives. When government leaders prioritize public health, they can save lives by helping to protect communities from frightening infectious diseases like COVID-19. Just like they [&hellip;]
- [Webinar on Fourth Annual Retailer Report Card](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/webinar-on-fourth-annual-retailer-report-card/): Please join our executive director, Mike Belliveau, and Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families&#8217; Mind the Store campaign director Mike Schade for an informative webinar on the findings of the latest annual report&nbsp;Who’s Minding the Store? A&nbsp;Report&nbsp;Card&nbsp;on&nbsp;Retailer&nbsp;Actions to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals. What:&nbsp;Webinar on 2019 Retailer Report Card findings&nbsp;When:&nbsp;Thursday Jan 23rd &#8211; 02:00 PM ET / 11:00 AM PTWhere:&nbsp;RSVP here. In the fourth annual report&nbsp;card&nbsp;on safer chemicals in consumer products, the Mind the Store campaign found that some major retailers are making meaningful progress in improving the chemical safety of the products and packaging they sell. Still, about one-third of the&nbsp;companies&nbsp;evaluated failed to [&hellip;]
- [Testify for Safe Drinking Water](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/testify-for-safe-drinking-water/): Did you know that over half of Mainers rely on a well for their drinking water—and one out of six wells contains harmful levels of arsenic? If you agree that all Mainers deserve safe water to drink, please join us at a public hearing in Augusta on Monday, January 27, and testify about why you want lawmakers to pass new legislation to establish a stronger drinking water standard for arsenic as well as provide free well water testing for low-income families. Please write to me at scahueque@ourhealthyfuture.org if you&#8217;d like to take part in the hearing. WHAT:&nbsp;Public hearing on LD [&hellip;]
- [Opportunity to Speak Out on PFAS in Maine](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/opportunity-to-speak-out-on-pfas-in-maine/): An upcoming public hearing on toxic chemicals threatening Maine&#8217;s food, farmland, and drinking water&nbsp;needs your voice.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Will you join us at the Maine State House on Friday, January 24, to speak out about why you want state action that will lead to the clean up of some toxic PFAS (per- and polyfluoralkyl substances) pollution threatening our drinking water, food, and farmland? Please email me if you&#8217;d like to take part in the hearing.&nbsp; WHAT:&nbsp;Public hearing on LD 1923, which will allow the Maine [&hellip;]
- [What We'll Do in 2020](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/what-well-do-in-2020/): Imagine a world with decreasing&nbsp;rates of infertility, learning disabilities, and cancer and other illnesses. In 2020, we&#8217;ll protect you, your children, and your grandchildren by fighting to: Hold polluters accountable for harm from toxic PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)&nbsp;inflicted on families and farmers. Push for a strong, health-protective drinking water standard to protect Maine children and families from dangerous PFAS contamination. Pass a new law to protect rural Mainers from arsenic in drinking water. Test products and packaging that may be leaching harmful chemicals into your food and home. Make sure Maine&#8217;s Kid Safe Products Act brings toxic-free products to [&hellip;]
- [Our Top Five Results in 2019](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/our-top-five-results-in-2019/): Your support for our work resulted in tremendous wins for the health of children and families this year.&nbsp;Here&#8217;s what you did: 1.&nbsp;We won! Maine now has the strongest law in the nation for keeping harmful chemicals out of food packaging.&nbsp;&nbsp; As one mom said, “I would much prefer to have a less convenient pizza box than compromise my children’s health by exposing them to dangerous chemicals.” 2.&nbsp;We prompted Maine agencies to test toxic sludge and stop spreading it all over farmland. &nbsp; When a heartbroken Maine dairy farmer shared&nbsp;his family’s story of their 100-year-old farm&nbsp;destroyed by toxic chemicals, we launched&nbsp;national [&hellip;]
- [What Organizing Looks Like](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/clean-water/what-organizing-looks-like/): A little-known issue links communities in Guatemala, where I’m from, to communities in Maine: arsenic contamination of drinking water. I was first convinced of the power of organizing for change when I spent time in a Guatemalan community organizing around water contamination. And it is my work in Maine on this issue that reminds me of the power of organizing, everyday. Giving Tuesday is tomorrow—will you fund our organizing work with a gift?&nbsp;Patagonia Action Works will match Giving Tuesday gifts to the Strategy Center, dollar-for-dollar—doubling your impact. Let me give you a glimpse into what our organizing looks like: This summer, [&hellip;]
- [Opportunity to Double Your Impact](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/opportunity-to-double-your-impact/): I am so pleased to share this news: We&#8217;ve just learned that Patagonia will match all gifts to our work,&nbsp;when you give through this link, through the end of the year. The match is dollar-for-dollar, for gifts up to $10,000.&nbsp;Just make sure you make your gift on this page,&nbsp;for us to receive the match. Patagonia works with the highly trustworthy Network for Good to process donations. Network for Good will process your donation, and send you an email confirmation and tax receipt. This is an amazing opportunity to double your impact,&nbsp;to create a world where all people are healthy and [&hellip;]
- [Honoring Sustainable Business Leadership: Biofine Developments Northeast Inc.](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/honoring-sustainable-business-leadership-biofine-developments-northeast-inc/): With a mission of establishing a renewable liquid fuels industry,&nbsp;Biofine Developments Northeast (BDNE)&nbsp;is at the forefront of the emerging sustainable bioeconomy in Maine. The company seeks to&nbsp;use cellulosic waste materials including forest residues and municipal solid waste to make 100% renewable, CO2 negative heating fuel and chemicals&nbsp;using underutilized infrastructure in rural Maine—replacing toxic, polluting fossil fuels and petrochemicals. &#8220;Biofine Developments Northeast is honored to receive the Sustainable Business Leadership Award from the Environmental Health Strategy Center,&#8221;&nbsp;said Mike Cassata, chief development officer at BDNE.&nbsp;&#8220;Mitigating the impact of climate change by decreasing our reliance on petroleum-derived products and developing storable, transportable forms [&hellip;]
- [Honoring Representative Ryan Fecteau for Legislative Leadership](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/honoring-representative-ryan-fecteau-for-legislative-leadership/): Representative&nbsp;Ryan Fecteau (D-Biddeford), represents House District 11 and serves as Assistant House Majority Leader. Rep. Fecteau showed great legislative leadership and initiative as lead sponsor of LD 1698, a renewable chemicals tax credit, currently awaiting Governor Janet Mills’ signature, which will revitalize Maine communities with the creation of high-paying jobs manufacturing climate-friendly products. “If we are going to ensure a healthy environment that continues to support so many Maine industries, sustains the wildlife who call Maine home and maintains the beauty that is so unique to our state, we need a comprehensive approach across our government,” said Rep. Fecteau. “I [&hellip;]
- [Honoring Senator Robert Foley for Legislative Leadership](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/honoring-senator-robert-foley-for-legislative-leadership/): Senator Robert Foley, R-York, represents Senate District 34. Sen. Foley demonstrated great leadership for the health of Maine children and families as lead Senate co-sponsor of LD 1433, the Safe Food Packaging Act, which will protect Mainers from toxic PFAS and phthalates by phasing out these dangerous chemicals from food packaging in Maine. “Several years ago I became involved with the banning of BPA in baby products here in Maine,” said Sen. Foley. “Dangerous chemicals in our food stream is of great concerns to me. Being the Senator of a neighboring district where PFAS was detected in the soil of [&hellip;]
- [Honoring Representative Jessica Fay for Legislative Leadership](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/honoring-representative-jessica-fay-for-legislative-leadership/): Representative Jessica Fay, D-Raymond, represents House District 66. Rep. Fay demonstrated exceptional leadership for the health of Maine children and families as the lead sponsor of LD 1433, the Safe Food Packaging Act, which will protect Mainers from toxic PFAS and phthalates by phasing out these dangerous chemicals from food packaging in Maine. &#8220;Keeping toxic chemicals out of our environment and out of our bodies is the reason I sponsored LD 1433. It is a small step in the road to a toxic free future, but an important one,&#8221; says Rep. Fay. &#8220;I learned more than I ever expected working [&hellip;]
- [Recognizing Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali, International Leader for Environmental Justice](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/recognizing-dr-mustafa-santiago-ali-international-leader-for-environmental-justice/): The Environmental Health Strategy Center this year recognizes international environmental justice leader&nbsp;Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali&nbsp;as the winner of our&nbsp;2019&nbsp;Frank Hatch Environmental Health Leadership Award. “Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali has passionately championed environmental justice for decades,” said Mike Belliveau, executive director of the Strategy Center. “The most vulnerable in our society—infants and children, poor people, communities of color—bear the worst burden of toxic pollution and climate impacts. Dr. Ali has inspired us and many others to demand that all people have equal access to safe food and water, clean air, and thriving communities that are toxic-free and climate-friendly.” Please join us [&hellip;]
- [Honoring Fred Stone for Grassroots Leadership](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/honoring-fred-stone-for-grassroots-leadership/): Fred Stone is the third generation of the Stone family to own and operate Stoneridge Farm, a dairy farm in Arundel, Maine. Until recently, the daily rhythm of raising, feeding, and milking cows defined Fred’s life. And then, one fateful day in November of 2016, Fred received life-altering bad news. On that day, Fred received a letter from the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Wells Water District. He learned the water district had tested well water from his property a few months earlier, during the summer, and found it contained very high levels of toxic chemicals known as PFOS and PFOA. PFOS [&hellip;]
- [Honoring Dr. Lani Graham, an Outstanding Health Professional](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/honoring-dr-lani-graham-an-outstanding-health-professional/): A family physician, Dr. Lani Graham, MD, MPH, has devoted her career to fighting not only for the health of her patients, but also for the health of the wider human community—here in Maine, and across the nation. “I am deeply touched to be receiving this award from an organization like the Environmental Health Strategy Center, which is the premiere organization for environmental health in Maine and the very essence of environmental health activism,” said Dr. Graham in response to the award. “Nothing important in public health is ever accomplished solo. It always takes a group of committed, hardworking and [&hellip;]
- [Maine’s Proposal for PFAS-contaminated Sludge: A Bad and a Worse Idea](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/pfas/sludge-biosolids/maines-proposal-for-pfas-contaminated-sludge-a-bad-and-a-worse-idea/): Maine faces an alarming and growing public health problem as a result of sewage sludge laced with PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), that, when spread as fertilizer on Maine’s farmland, pollutes our food, farms, and groundwater with these toxic chemicals. The state has so far failed to address the problem—and now, it’s proposing a path forward that may be just as bad or worse. At the August 28 PFAS taskforce meeting, Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Jerry Reid suggested that the state continue to allow PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge to be spread on Maine farmland for a few more [&hellip;]
- [Tell McDonald’s: Time to Take off the Toxic Gloves](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/safe-food/tell-mcdonalds-time-to-take-off-the-toxic-gloves/): We&#8217;ve just released a new report—the largest study of its kind, to date—that found&nbsp;one out of seven&nbsp;vinyl&nbsp;or PVC food service gloves contained toxic chemicals called phthalates (THAL-eights) that can leach into food. Worse? Two-thirds of the popular fast food restaurants we visited were using vinyl gloves to handle and serve food. Some PVC gloves from McDonald&#8217;s tested positive for phthalates. (See how all restaurants ranked here.) We’re calling on McDonald’s, the top restaurant by sales in the U.S., to be a market leader and switch away from using PVC gloves—the only way to ensure that food service gloves won’t contaminate [&hellip;]
- [More Action Needed to Keep Forever Chemicals Out of Maine’s Milk](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/more-action-needed-to-keep-forever-chemicals-out-of-maines-milk/): Our recent work tackling toxic PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) has taken us from farm fields in rural Maine to the nation’s capital. Here’s a peek into our efforts on the state and national fronts to tackle the growing crisis of PFAS contamination in our food, water, and soil. (Read the previous installments in our “Tackling Toxic PFAS” series here, here, and here.) Are children and families in Maine drinking milk contaminated with toxic PFAS? Despite recent reassurances from the state, the fact is, we still don’t know. Two and a half years ago, Maine’s Department of Conservation, Agriculture, and [&hellip;]
- [Who Wants Farm-to-Table Forever Chemicals?](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/toxic-free-products/who-wants-farm-to-table-forever-chemicals/): Our recent work tackling toxic PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) has taken us from farm fields in rural Maine to the nation’s capital. Here’s a peek into our efforts on the state and national fronts to tackle the growing crisis of PFAS contamination in our food, water, and soil. (Read the first installment of our “Tackling Toxic PFAS” series here, and the second installment here.) Most of us here in Maine assumed when we read back in March that the “State says sludge must be tested for ‘forever chemicals’ before it’s used as fertilizer,” it meant PFAS-contaminated sludge [&hellip;]
- [Tackling Toxic PFAS: Part II](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/tackling-toxic-pfas-part-ii/): Our recent work tackling toxic PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) has taken us from farm fields in rural Maine to the nation’s capital. Here’s a peek into our efforts on the state and national fronts to tackle the growing crisis of PFAS contamination in our food, water, and soil. (Read the first installment of our “Tackling Toxic PFAS” series here.) After the devastating PFAS contamination of Fred Stone’s dairy farm in Arundel, Maine, made headlines across the country earlier this year, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection did the right thing, and halted the spread of sewage sludge—the [&hellip;]
- [Success! Home Improvement Retailers Follow Through on Commitments to Remove Phthalates from Flooring](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/success-home-improvement-retailers-follow-through-on-commitments-to-remove-phthalates-from-flooring/): By Gillian Miller, Mike Belliveau, Mike Schade, and Bill Walsh​ Tens of millions of pounds of phthalates annually eliminated from vinyl flooring: That’s the victory our collaborative Mind the Store campaign scored in 2015 after we secured commitments by leading retailers to eliminate phthalates from flooring. We did this by first testing dozens of floor tiles from the nations’ largest home improvement retailers, then reporting the results, and meeting with the companies and challenging them to step up. This effort was a collaboration between the Ecology Center, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, the Environmental Health Strategy Center and Healthy Building Network.&nbsp; [&hellip;]
- [First-in-the-Nation Bill Bans Toxic Chemicals from Food Packaging](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/first-in-the-nation-bill-bans-toxic-chemicals-from-food-packaging/): Thanks to you, we had a major win for public health this week. The Maine Legislature unanimously passed a first-in the-nation bill banning two toxic industrial chemicals from food packaging. When signed into law, it will also clear the way for restricting additional harmful chemicals from food packaging. The bill is now on Maine Governor Janet Mill’s desk, awaiting her expected signature.&nbsp;Update, 6/13/19: Governor Mills just signed this bill into law! This win belongs to you. It comes thanks to the many Mainers who wrote to their state representatives; to the concerned parents, doctors, and scientists who testified at a [&hellip;]
- [Tackling Toxic PFAS: Part I](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/uncategorized/tackling-toxic-pfas-part-i/): Our recent work tackling toxic PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances) has taken us from farm fields in rural Maine to the nation’s capital. Here’s a peek into our efforts on the state and national fronts to tackle the growing crisis of PFAS contamination in our food, water, and soil. On the National Front Earlier this month, I joined parents, children, farmers, and others directly impacted by PFAS contamination from around the country in Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress for federal action on this devastating public health crisis. Many of the people in D.C. that day can’t drink their [&hellip;]

## Pages

- [Subscribe](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/subscribe/): newsletter signup Subscribe for Alerts There&#8217;s a lot going on out there! It&#8217;s hard to keep track of how you can be most effective in creating change. We’ll send you our free monthly e-news and special alerts, so you&#8217;ll see the best ways and best timing for taking action that matters the most. Subscribe * indicates required First Name *Last Name *Email Address *Phone Number Address Address Line 2CityState/Province/RegionPostal / Zip CodeCountryAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaCongoCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGuamGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIrelandIsraelItalyJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People&#8217;s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMauritaniaMexicoMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMoroccoMozambiqueNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNetherlands AntillesNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPanamaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarReunionRomaniaRussiaRwandaSamoa (Independent)Saudi ArabiaSenegalSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanTanzaniaThailandTogoTunisiaTurkiyeTurkmenistanUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUruguayUSAUzbekistanVatican City State (Holy See)VenezuelaVietnamVirgin [&hellip;]
- [Support Our Work](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/support-our-work/): Our Menu of Giving Choose what works best for you! Make a gift one or more times a year. Proceed Become a Hero for Health by making a monthly, recurring gift. Proceed DAF giving &#8211; Think of us for a payout from your donor advised fund. Stock &#8211; Contribute appreciated securities and receive tax advantages. More Info IRA Gift &#8211; Donors 70½ and older may make tax-free gifts directly from an Individual Retirement Account. Bequests &#8211; Consider including us in your estate plans, or make Defend Our Health a beneficiary or contingent beneficiary of your retirement plan. More Info If [&hellip;]
- [Donate](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/donate/): YOUR GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE AND HELPS US GROW. Contribution OR Prefer to mail a check, please send to Defend Our Health565 Congress Street, Suite 204Portland, ME 04101 If you have any questions or concerns about your donation, please connect with us at (207) 699-5789 info@defendourhealth.org More about us Our Team Our Strategy Our Wins Our Stories
- [Act Now](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/act-now/): It’s time to take action. Defend Our Health believes all people have a right to safe food and drinking water, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly. We’re armed with a strategy to forge diverse coalitions, empower the grassroots, and drive marketplace change. We’re passing precedent-setting legislation at every level of government and impacting corporate chemical policy to protect public health. As a result, we’re preventing disability, disease, and early deaths while improving the health of our communities and the climate. Your voice matters. Take action today. Current Campaigns Tell The Children’s Place, Carter’s, and H&#038;M to cut back on [&hellip;]
- [Resources](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/resources/): 03.21.2024 Fact Sheet for Investors: Reducing Disparate Health Burdens of Full Supply Chains by Major PET and Polyester-Consuming Corporations The beverage and fashion industry’s reliance on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic for a significant portion of its packaging and polyester source material creates avoidable financial and business risks. Read Chemicals in Plastics Fact Sheet 01.03.2024 Companies Who Reported PFAS in Products to the State of Maine Before the Maine Legislature extended the reporting deadline (until January 1, 2025), more than sixty companies submitted information to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) on products they sell in Maine that contain PFAS. [&hellip;]
- [Our Team](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-team/): Our Team Staff Sergio Cahueque Organizer Emily Carey Perez de Alejo President &amp; CEO Stephanie Durrant Office Manager Taylor Moore VP &#8211; Marketing &amp; Communications Adam Nordell Campaign Manager &#8211; Maine Farmland Contamination Maya Rommwatt Director of Campaigns and Programs Board of Directors Defend Our Health’s Board of Directors is made up of scientists, community leaders, and health professionals. Ruth Hennig Chair Apollinaire Munyaneza, Ph.D. Vice Chair Susan B. Inches, MBA Secretary Steve Pomerantz, Ph.D. Treasurer Kate Manahan, LCSW Rev. Richard Killmer Laurie Mazur Lindi von Mutius Pallavi Madakasira Board Members Emeriti Gail Carlson, Ph.D. Ken Geiser, Ph.D. Lalla Carothers [&hellip;]
- [Contact Us](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/contact-us/): Contact Us Defend Our Health’s headquarters are located in Portland, Maine. Office Location 565 Congress Street, Suite 204, Portland, ME 04101 Contact Phone (207) 699-5795 Email Us info@defendourhealth.orgContact the President and CEO, Emily Carey Perez de Alejo on ecarey@defendourhealth.org Interview Requests Please direct all interview requests to Taylor Moore. tmoore@defendourhealth.org 770-596-1634 Please let us know the media outlet you are representing, the topic you are interested in, and the deadline for your story. Speaking Opportunities Please direct all interview requests to Taylor Moore. tmoore@defendourhealth.org 770-596-1634
- [Terms of Use](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/terms-of-use/): This privacy policy sets out how www.defendourhealth.org (the “Site”) uses and protects any information that you give www.defendourhealth.org when you use the Site. Defend Our Health, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that owns the Site, is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using the Site, you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. Defend Our Health may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to [&hellip;]
- [Our Wins](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-wins/): Our Victories It’s not enough to just fight for our health. We must win the important battles and develop solutions to create real, impactful change. Here are some of the major victories we’ve won in the past two decades. Our victories for For safe food For safe water For toxic-free products To end plastic pollution Defend Our Health has driven major wins for safer food by tackling toxic chemicals head-on. Through bold legislation, corporate pressure, and groundbreaking investigations, they’ve reshaped how food is packaged, sourced, and regulated—protecting families from harmful exposures and setting new national standards. We passed the first [&hellip;]
- [Fashion Card](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/fashion-card/): Defend our kids FASHION SCORECARE 2025 Ranking of 10 kid’s apparel brands on their efforts to reduce chemicals and plastics of concern Sign the Petition Press Release DOWNLOAD FULL REPORT Overview The 2025 Defend Our Kids Fashion Scorecard is the first annual ranking on the progress of select kids’ apparel companies to reduce the use of potentially toxic chemicals and plastics in fibers and product packaging. Overall, the ten companies analyzed in this scorecard received an average composite score of 35.3 out of 100 points, or a C grade. The highest score was attained by H&#038;M–a B+ with 61.5 points. [&hellip;]
- [Our Strategy](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/our-strategy/): A Healthier Future Starts Here We work across communities, industries, and governments to protect people and the planet—because justice should never be optional. Our Strategy The root cause of chemical exposure, environmental injustice, plastic pollution, and climate catastrophe is systemic: Powerful people in government and industry prioritize profit over public health. That must change. We develop grassroots leadership We educate so as to organize, using the best available science to raise awareness about who’s most impacted and what practical solutions are available. We train and develop grassroots leaders to speak for themselves as voices for change. We cultivate champions inside [&hellip;]
- [About](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/about/): Defending our health since 2002 We work to create a world where all people are thriving, with equal access to safe food and drinking water, healthy homes, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly. About Defend Our Health is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fighting for everyone’s right to safe food, clean water, healthy homes, and climate-friendly products.Toxic industrial chemicals have harmed millions for decades—especially in low-income communities and communities of color. The fallout is devastating: rising rates of autism, learning disabilities, cancer, infertility, and autoimmune disease. Our climate is under siege, threatening the health and future of generations to come. Organizational [&hellip;]
- [Home](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/): BETTER HEALTH THROUGH TOXIC REDUCTION We are addressing the challenges PFAS and microplastics present to our collective health. These harmful toxins are in our oceans, rivers, soil and find their way into our bodies. Through our efforts Maine is a model for best practices and policies towards better health for our children and underserved indigenous communities. At Defend Our Health, Our Work is Based On Empirical Data Resulting in Solutions With Practical Approaches 1400 People in Maine were supported in getting their well water tested for harmful substances and other toxic pollutants. 2500 Chemicals of concern that threaten the health [&hellip;]
- [Privacy Policy](https://slategrey-dogfish-805941.hostingersite.com/privacy-policy/): This privacy policy sets out how www.defendourhealth.org (the “Site”) uses and protects any information that you give www.defendourhealth.org when you use the Site. Defend Our Health, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that owns the Site, is committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using the Site, you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement. Defend Our Health may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to [&hellip;]


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