News & Press
Moms and Doctors React Strongly to New Report on Toxic Chemical BPA
PORTLAND, Maine, March 30, 2016–Maine moms and doctors are voicing concern about the findings of a national report released today that show the results of testing nearly 200 cans of food for the presence of the dangerous chemical Bisphenol A (BPA). The tests revealed BPA’s presence in the linings of two out of three cans… Read more »
Health Organizations Call for Expanded Arsenic Testing in Well Water
“In 2004, I started having trouble with my skin,” says Richard Minoty, who with his wife moved into a housing complex in Belgrade in 2002. Belgrade is a hot spot for elevated arsenic levels. “Got more cancer — skin cancer – than anybody I’ve ever known,” Minoty says. Exposure to arsenic has been linked to… Read more »
Maine health and education organizations press LePage for action on arsenic in water
A coalition of health and education organizations are pressing the administration of Gov. Paul LePage to step up its efforts to reduce exposure of state residents to arsenic found in well water across the state. . . . The Environmental Health Strategy Center, the Maine Public Health Association, the Maine chapter of the American Academy… Read more »
Leading Maine Organizations Demand Action on Health Crisis
PORTLAND, Maine, March 2, 2016—Sick with a form of cancer linked to arsenic poisoning, Richard Minoty had lived for 11 years in an apartment complex in Belgrade when his doctor reviewed test results of drinking water from Richard’s kitchen. The doctor issued a prescription within minutes: move to a new home. “The doctor looked at… Read more »
Lumber Liquidators stock plunges on revised CDC report citing cancer concerns
Lumber Liquidators’ stock plunged when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people exposed to certain types of the company’s laminate flooring were three times more likely to get cancer than the agency previously predicted. The CDC said that in its original report, last year, had used an incorrect value for ceiling height. It… Read more »
Happy Holidays: Senate Bill Won’t Protect Children from Imported Toxic Toys
Last night, the U.S. Senate passed legislation by unanimous consent to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976. The bill must be reconciled with a much different bill approved in June by the U.S. House of Representatives, before final TSCA reform can become law. Mike Belliveau, Executive Director of Environmental Health Strategy Center,… Read more »
Plants to Products: Our View
“Yes, there are communities in Maine still reeling from recent plant closures, and no, biobased is not an overnight solution. Yet, biobased manufacturing is a unique economic development strategy for Maine. It can create good manufacturing jobs, use natural resources sustainably, respond to global demand and reduce our reliance on petroleum.” Read the full article… Read more »
Patricia Aho, Maine’s top environmental official, is stepping down
‘“The commissioner was often a cautious voice of reason in an administration that was otherwise very hostile to public health protections,” Belliveau said. “We didn’t always agree (with Aho), but she didn’t always call the shots. The governor’s office did. … We were often critical of decisions made under her leadership, but we also cooperated… Read more »
Bipartisan Legislators: What’s the State’s Plan for Protecting Rural Maine Families from Arsenic Poisoning?
Augusta, ME – A bipartisan group of Maine legislators sent a letter to Commissioner Mary Mayhew of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services on Tuesday morning, requesting that the Department announce a plan of action within 30 days to protect Maine children from exposure to arsenic and other toxic chemicals from drinking water… Read more »
Our View: State Inaction on Arsenic Tests Puts Mainers at Risk
“With 150,000 Maine residents potentially drinking hazardous water from untested wells, the state could have used both funding sources to spread awareness and increase the testing rate. Instead, they’ll get neither, with the administration saying that the work will continue under existing resources. If the governor has a plan for completing the same level of… Read more »