25 results for tag: toxic free kids act

Senator Merkley Speaks Up for Chemical Safety — and Oregon Families

At an early March Senate hearing, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley asked the tough questions that get to the heart of serious concerns about proposed changes to the Toxic Substances Control Acts (TSCA). In recent discussions, Senator Merkley has emerged as a critical voice pushing back against industry-backed proposals that would weaken how the EPA reviews dangerous chemicals before they reach our homes, schools, and workplaces.  The Fox Guarding the Henhouse One particularly troubling provision in the Senate draft would allow third-party reviewers (potentially hired by the chemical industry itself) to approve new chemicals. Senator Merkley didn't ...

PFAS AKA “Forever Chemicals”

The Story of PFAS PFAS (Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) or ‘forever chemicals’ are a class of over 15,000 toxic chemicals. Members of this chemical class feature the strongest chemical bond known to organic chemistry- the carbon fluorine bond. This incredible chemical bond leads to properties like not reacting with other substances- including an ability to repel grease, oil, and water. In this story, chemical manufacturers wanted to give their products these properties, such as jackets that didn’t get wet, refrigerants that didn’t corrode copper pipes, and frying pans that eggs didn’t stick to. PFAS chemicals were added to pizza ...

Huge Wins for Public Health! Oregon Lawmakers Act to Keep Toxic Chemicals Out of Cosmetics and Kids’ Products

In a resounding victory for the health and well-being of Oregonians, Oregon Environmental Council and coalition partners successfully advocated for the passage of two crucial environmental health bills in the 2023 legislative session.

Prioritizing Children’s Health in Kid’s Products

Toxic chemicals that harm health should not be in our kids' products. But they are. Thousands of chemicals lurk in products our kids use every day and children are far more vulnerable to toxics than adults due to their smaller size and developing organs. Even worse, the most recent studies show that new chemical compounds are produced at a rate of 10 million per year, which translates to nearly 1,000 new chemicals synthesized every hour. In 2015, OEC led the advocacy work to pass the historic Toxic Free Kids Act (TFKA), requiring manufacturers of children’s products to disclose — and eventually phase out — the worst chemicals of concern for ...

UPDATE: Victory! Judge dismisses Oregon Toxic Free Kids Act Litigation

As we reported at the start of the new year (see below), American Apparel, the Toy Association, and its member coalition- Safe to Play, had filed a lawsuit during the week of Christmas, claiming that Oregon’s Toxic Free Kids Act (TFKA) is preempted based on the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) and Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). Thankfully earlier this summer, the federal district court in Portland, Oregon dismissed the toy industry's lawsuit. Specifically, Judge Simon held that at least 69 chemicals regulated in Oregon’s Toxic Free Kids Act are not even addressed in the federal statutes. Therefore, the Toxic Free Kids Act is not ...

Grinchlike behavior: Toy Association delivers lawsuit against safer toys just in time for the New Year

In one of the most Grinch-like moves of 2021, American Apparel, the Toy Association, and its member coalition- Safe to Play, filed a lawsuit during the week of Christmas, in an effort to ensure that they can continue delivering toxic toys to Oregon kids.  They claim that the final rules of Oregon’s Toxic Free Kids Act (TFKA) is preempted based on the  Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) and Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA), and that compliance with phaseouts, especially if they have to pay the fees to apply for waivers, will cause them “irreparable harm.” This move came six and a half years after TFKA was enacted, and over 9 months ...

Without TFKA expansions, OHA forced to choose 5 chemicals to regulate

There’s thousands of potentially harmful chemicals in products that are marketed to kids. As of now, OHA can regulate just a few of them. We need to change that.  In 2015, OEC’s advocacy lead to the passage of a groundbreaking law, the Toxics Free Kids Act (TFKA), which required manufacturers of children's products sold in Oregon to report certain products containing High Priority Chemicals of Concern for Children’s Health (HPCCCH) (“high priority chemical list”), and ultimately phase them out. However, the chemical and toy industry successfully limited the law, so that the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) could not regulate more than five ...

Modernizing the Toxic Free Kids Act

OEC and partners testify in support of HB 2495 to strengthen protections for children’s health and defend TFKA from opposition.

Tell McDonald’s: Time to Take off the Toxic Gloves

With great market power comes great responsibility for customers' health. This summer Oregon Environmental Council helped gather samples for a research report that finds that some vinyl, or PVC, food service gloves contain toxic chemicals called phthalates (THAL-eights) that can leach into food—and some gloves from McDonald’s tested positive for these harmful chemicals. We’re joining with our partner groups across the nation in calling on McDonald’s, the top restaurant 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 diners’ meals with toxic ...

Oregon Health Authority Wrestles With Commitment to Transparency

At the most recent meeting of the Toxic Free Kids Act Rules Advisory Committee the chemical industry publicly admitted that many chemicals in kids’ products may lack key data on their safety. This sort of disregard for product safety and transparency is sadly a routine page out of the chemical industry's playbook.  The issue of transparency was another hot topic during the most recent rules meeting. While it's a common move for industry associations and manufacturers to refuse to provide transparency on chemical ingredients and safety assessments, it's less common to see it from state agencies.  The heart of the matter under consideration by ...