A new study by the Environmental Working Group shows that chemicals closely related to PFOA, the toxic chemical that contaminated water in Bennington, are still used in some food wrappers. Since PFOA was banned from food contact substances, industry has shifted to coat food wrappers with similar chemicals with slightly different chemical structures, which are intended to …
After PFOA was discovered in drinking water in Bennington County, VPIRG worked with members of the Legislature to pass Act 154, which helped address the contamination in the short-term and created a working group to evaluate how we regulate toxic chemicals and how we can better prevent similar situations from happening in the future. VPIRG’s Paul …
How Can We Better Protect Vermonters from Toxic Chemicals? Read More »
After VPIRG released our 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report and data from Vermont’s Toxic Free Families Act the responses from manufacturers and the toy industry were a bit puzzling. Instead of addressing known and possible carcinogens contained in their products, or ways to ensure parents know when toys are recalled, they wanted to make …
Advocates Identify Toys Containing Dangerous Chemicals Available in Vermont Some toys that have been recalled for lead or powerful magnets or other hazards can still be found in online stores, according to VPIRG’s 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report. The survey of potentially hazardous toys found that consumers should be wary when shopping this holiday …
31st Annual Survey Finds Recalled Toys in Online Stores Read More »
Every year the top retailers in the US are assessed based on their disclosure of harmful toxic chemicals that are often used in their products. In a country where over 85,000 chemicals that are not fully tested are regularly used in everyday consumer products, disclosure and arming consumers with the right to know is the most powerful …
We can all agree that there are few Halloween traditions more adorable than children getting their faces painted to look like spooky ghosts or fierce animals. However, a new report by the Breast Cancer Fund and the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has highlighted a dark reality behind kid’s face paint: it is often riddled with chemicals that most would not let their kids go …
“Pretty Scary 2” Report Unveils the Toxic Truth Behind Kid’s Facepaint Read More »
The issue of using aquatic pesticides to control lamprey populations in and around Lake Champlain has received considerable attention in recent weeks. In particular, the determination made by the Vermont Department of Health (DOH) that permits issued for the use of the chemical 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) should not allow the chemical to be detectable in water …
Earlier this week Governor Shumlin was joined by elected officials, advocates, and members of the North Bennignton Community to sign H.595 in to law. The new law addresses issues that arose out of the PFOA contamination found in North Bennington earlier this year, and initiates a process to evaluate how the state can better protect …
Governor Signs New Law to Protect Vermonters from Toxic Chemicals Read More »
Today the Vermont Legislature passed H.595, a bill that takes steps to address issues arising from the PFOA contamination found in North Bennington, and forwards the conversation about how Vermont can best regulate toxic chemicals. The bill includes a number of important provisions that will make it easier for the Agency of Natural Resources to prevent …
VT takes another step forward to protect against toxic pollutants Read More »
As state officials deal with discoveries of water contamination in multiple Vermont communities, it has not been lost among the Vermont legislature that it is against the backdrop of an ongoing federal effort to reform the nation’s failed, four-decade old chemicals law, the Toxic Substances Control Act. Legislators are aiming to strengthen current versions of …
Legislators advance resolution for a stronger national chemicals laws Read More »
