September 12, 2017

New Rules Enhance Harm From Toxic Chemicals

SAN FRANCISCO – Earthjustice — on behalf of the Environmental Working Group and organizations representing consumers, people from low-income communities of color, Alaska Natives, parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities, workers, and scientists — has brought two suits against the Trump administration for weakening key rules establishing how the Environmental Protection Agency will regulate toxic chemicals found in consumer products, building materials, and work places, as well as in our drinking water and food. Specifically, the lawsuits challenge two EPA regulations that set ground rules for how EPA will prioritize chemicals for safety review and then evaluate the risks of […]
September 5, 2017

Groups Sue FDA to Protect Food Safety

Today, consumer, health, and food safety groups challenged a Food and Drug Administration rule that undermines the integrity of our food safety system. Chemical and food manufacturers often seek to add chemicals to processed food, typically to enhance flavor, add nutrients or prevent spoilage. Chemicals also often leach into foods from processing equipment and packaging. While Congress has required that the FDA itself determine that chemical additives are safe before they can be used on food, the FDA rule allows manufacturers to decide for and by themselves – in secret – what can be added to processed foods. The groups […]
August 30, 2017

Why EPA Chief Didn’t Ban Brain-Damaging Pesticide

WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt’s defense for allowing the continued use of a dangerous pesticide starkly shows that he doesn’t consider protecting children’s health to be more important than protecting the agriculture industry’s status quo, said EWG President Ken Cook. In an interview with his home state newspaper, The Oklahoman, Pruitt said he aborted a scheduled ban on chlorpyrifos – a pesticide the EPA’s own scientists had found could harm kids’ brains – because “it had been used for decades.” He also cited disagreement over the pesticide’s dangers between EPA scientists and the Department of Agriculture, which consistently advocates on […]
August 15, 2017

5 Ways To Keep Your Brain Healthy

Too often, we neglect our brains when we think about our overall physical health. You may be trying to eat healthily or exercise more – but when was the last time you thought about the health of your brain? That’s what we thought! But the health of your brain is absolutely critical to your overall well-being. So read on, and see 5 of the simplest ways you can ensure that your brain is happy and healthy. These tips may help reduce your risk of developing Alzheimer’s and dementia later in life, and aid you in maintaining a healthier mind and […]
August 15, 2017

Trump’s EPA Proposed Rule Puts 117 Million at Risk

The Environmental Protection Agency announced its plans to repeal the Clean Water Rule, advancing the Trump administration’s agenda to give industry and agribusiness free rein to pollute the drinking water sources of more than 100 million Americans, said EWG Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Scott Faber. The Obama administration established the Clean Water Rule, extending the protections of the Clean Water Act to small streams. The rule is a common-sense safeguard supported by a majority of Americans. But industry and agribusiness have been pushing for years to roll back the rule and protect only the biggest streams and rivers. […]
August 9, 2017

Groups Sue FDA to Take Formaldehyde Out of Salons

The Food and Drug Administration has failed to act on dangerous hair straighteners that contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde and pose a significant health hazard to consumers and salon workers, the Environmental Working Group and Women’s Voices for the Earth allege in a motion filed July 28 in federal district court. The motion is part of the groups’ lawsuit against the FDA for its failure to act on a six-year-old petition requesting an investigation into popular hair smoothing treatments that are still sold in stores and salons. These straighteners – often known as keratin treatments or by the name of one prominent brand, Brazilian Blowout – contain formaldehyde, […]
August 8, 2017

Sweet Relief: Sunburn Remedy Found in Vitamin D

The role of sun exposure in the formation of vitamin D in the body is well known. Now it appears that the vitamin may also play a role in protecting the skin from burning after being exposed to potentially damaging amounts of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. In a randomized trial reported on May 30, 2017 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 20men and womenwere given 50,000 international units (IU), 100,000 IU or 200,000 IU vitamin D3, or a placebo one hour following ultraviolet UV lamp sunburn to the inner arm. The patients were examined 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours and […]