News & Press
American Academy of Pediatrics Warns against Toxic Phthalates in U.S. Food Supply: Statement
Statement from Patrick MacRoy, deputy director of the Environmental Health Strategy Center and coordinator of the Coalition for Safer Food Processing & Packaging, on the American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement on toxic chemical additives in food: July 23, 2018—“This important statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) sounds the alarm about the toxic soup… Read more »
The Home Depot is Third Major U.S. Retailer to Ban Sales of Deadly Paint Strippers
Advocates call on Pruitt EPA to end delay, protect Americans from toxic products Portland, Maine, June 19, 2018—Resulting from a coalition campaign in which the Maine-based Environmental Health Strategy Center is a key leader, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, The Home Depot, announced today that it will phase out the use of the toxic chemicals methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP)… Read more »
Responding to Public Pressure, Lowe’s to End Sale of Deadly Paint Removal Products
Responding to Public Pressure, Lowe’s to End Sale of Deadly Paint Removal Products Public Health Leaders Call on Other Retailers to Follow Lowe’s Lead May 29, 2018, Portland, ME — Following months of public pressure, major home improvement retailer Lowe’s announced this morning that it would end sales by the end of this year of… Read more »
Toxic Industrial Chemicals a Problem Throughout U.S. Food System, New Research Demonstrates
The Coalition for Safer Food Processing & Packaging Issues Statement on New Study that Finds Dining Out Associated with Higher Exposure to Toxic Phthalates March 29, 2018—New independent research on the U.S. population’s exposure to toxic chemicals called phthalates (THAL-eights) broke new ground this week with the finding that Americans who eat more food away… Read more »
Making America Toxic Again
About a month after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Scott Pruitt arrived at the Environmental Protection Agency for his first full day of work. The new administrator had weathered a contentious confirmation battle, with bitter debate over his long-standing ties to the industries he was now responsible for regulating—not to mention the 14 lawsuits he had filed against the agency as… Read more »
New Hampshire Follows Maine’s Lead with Proposed Ban on Toxic Flame Retardants
Part of National Trend: 23 States Consider New Rules on Toxic Chemicals as Trump EPA Fails to Protect Public Health PORTLAND, Maine, February 21, 2018—With legislation modeled after Maine’s first-in-the-nation ban on toxic flame retardants in upholstered household furniture that passed in 2017, the New Hampshire Legislature is considering a similarly sweeping ban to protect the health of kids,… Read more »
Maine Voices: Product safety nominee has spent career defending manufacturers of dangerous items
There should be minimum criteria for positions meant to protect the public’s health, including commitment to a federal agency’s mission. By Ross Endicott, Special to the Press Herald SCARBOROUGH — The story of our business starts in the attic, where our 3-year-old son loved to play on the dozens of couch cushions stored there. Why… Read more »
Environmental Health Strategy Center Expands with Appointments to Board and Staff
PORTLAND, Maine, February 5, 2018—The Environmental Health Strategy Center, a Maine-based public health organization working in the state and nationally for safer food, water, and products, has appointed a new board member and expanded its organizing team. Joining a nine-person board of directors, David Bennell is the Food, Land, and Water manager for the… Read more »
Toxic Golf Balls? Sporting Good Illustrates Need for Prompt Action by EPA to Address Persistent Chemical Threats
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 21, 2018 CONTACT: Jamie Nolan on behalf of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families jamie@nolanstrategic.com 410-463-9869 Advocates uncover likely use of toxic, environmentally harmful chemical in golf balls; call on EPA to follow Congressional directive to promptly address chemicals that build up in people and the environment WASHINGTON, D.C. – When an errant… Read more »
EPA Eases Path for New Chemicals, Raising Fears of Health Hazards
The Environmental Protection Agency is shifting course under the Trump administration on how it assesses new chemicals for health and environmental hazards, streamlining a safety review process that industry leaders say is too slow and cumbersome. But some former EPA officials, as well as experts and advocates, say the agency is skipping vital steps that… Read more »