We all deserve to live, work and play in healthy, safe environments. That’s why Oregon Environmental Council brings Oregonians together to reduce harmful chemicals in our air, water, food and in our homes and buildings. We promote policies to protect Oregonians from unnecessary toxics and unite health experts and caregivers to create safer places to learn and grow.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), one of the main federal laws that regulates chemical safety in the U.S., is woefully out of date. Created in 1976, TSCA desperately needs to be overhauled to reflect the latest health science and medical knowledge about chemicals that we come into contact with everyday.
In the absence of practical, protective policy at the national level, many states have decided to take action to protect people and the environment. Oregon is no exception. Oregon Environmental Council was instrumental in passing the Toxic Free Kids Act this year with bipartisan support–a law that will protect the youngest among us from toxic chemicals used in products like shampoo and clothing. In passing our law, we joined states like Washington, Minnesota and New York in passing stricter standards to protect our youngest residents.
At the federal level, in the last year or so both chambers of Congress have initiated an earnest effort to reform TSCA. Industry and trade associations are aggressively lobbying in both the Senate and House to push a bill through, and it looks like there’s a good chance that a modest reform of this important law may happen in 2015.
While it’s likely there will be some improvements to the current law, OEC still has concerns about how and when state laws would be preempted, as well as the ability for states to seek waivers in cases where they have more protective laws already on their books (like Oregon). Additionally, we’re concerned that the EPA will not have sufficient funding to carry out chemical safety assessments, and that the agency’s ability to regulate chemicals in imported products will be too limited.
To help ensure that our hard won protections for Oregonians stay in place and that we get the best, most protective law possible, OEC will continue to engage our congressional delegation, as well as playing an active role in national coalitions that are on the ground in Washington D.C.
Take Action with Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families: click here!
Do you ever wonder what’s in your water?
The water in our rivers and groundwater isn’t pure H2O. Every water source has different minerals and compounds. Many are harmless or even healthful, but others can be toxic to humans or aquatic life.
Some harmful toxics are naturally occurring, like bacteria, arsenic and algae. Some aren’t supposed to be in the river but get washed off our streets and farms, like brake fluid, mercury, fertilizers and pesticides. And some are man-made syn
It’s not this lotion or that shampoo. It’s not just one can or package of food. It’s the toxic chemicals in thousands of products we encounter every day that undermine our health. So: who is responsible?
One could argue that Albertson’s store brand of bubb
Can you name a thousand cleaning and beauty products? Can you name a hundred? It’s hard to even imagine 90,000 products made by 700 manufacturers. Yet that’s the number of products that will have to change if manufacturers want to sell on Walmart shelves. See details in a Bloomberg News story.
Three years ago, Walmart told manufacturers that they would have un
This week, Congress reformed the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, changing the way our nation manages toxic chemicals. It’s a major overhaul of the only bedrock environmental law that has never been amended. Champions like Senator Merkley are to be commended for standing up to industry interests to defend public health provisions.
We still need to address flaws in the new law that undermine its effectiveness. And it will take vigilance and funding to ensure that the this
Governor Kate Brown took strong and decisive action to shut down toxics at the source within hours after she learned about high lead levels in the air near Bullseye Glass on May 19, 2016. The decision shows not only bold leadership to protect health, but a clear understanding of the risks at hand.
Shutting down business practices is not a decision to take lightly. But unpredictable
Who says toxics are a problem?
The Endocrine Society.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
The World Health Organization.
As columnist Nicholas Kristoff wrote on Sunday for The New York Times, warnings about exposure to toxics from everyday products and their harm to
For Immediate Release: Oregon Passes Historic Toxics Protections
Oregon Legislature Acts to Phase Out Known Hazardous Chemicals
from Children’s Products
Salem, OR – July 3, 2015: Today, the Oregon House cas
“Do you know what chemicals you’re exposed to on a daily basis? Pollutants we encounter every day come from any number of sources – cars, factories, shampoos, lotions, carpets and more. Some chemicals are benign but others could be hazardous to your health…” So begins an article about the toxics around us.
This week,
This is a recap for the 2013 legislative session. To learn about current efforts on the Toxic Free Kids Act, SB 487, click here.
In a fast-moving 35-day legislative session, hearings come and go so quickly that it’s hard to stay in
