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October 15, 2022
In this week's newsletter, we have some good news and some bad news. The good news? California passed bans on toxic PFAS chemicals in cosmetics & personal care products and clothes. Boston banned plastic turf grass containing PFAS. And Toxin Free USA stepped up to protect consumers by suing Procter & Gamble for dental floss containing PFAS. The bad news? The Guardian has breaking news reporting on microplastics, "Microplastics found in human breast milk for the first time." This year alone has seen studies finding "microplastics in human blood for the first time" and "microplastics found in human lungs for the first time." What has the world come to when humans are excreting toxic chemical-laced microplastics?
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California Bans PFAS ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Cosmetics and Clothes
California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed two bills that will ban cancer-linked PFAS chemicals (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) from cosmetic products and textiles in the state beginning in 2025. The first bill signed into law, AB 2771, will prohibit the manufacture, sale and delivery of cosmetic products that contain PFAS. "Toxic PFAS have no place in our consumer products. Californians won’t have to worry that they’re putting their health, or the health of their loved ones, at risk by doing something as routine as applying lotion or wearing makeup," state Assemblymember Laura Friedman, author of the bill, said in a statement. The second bill, AB 1817, will bar the manufacture, distribution and sale of "any new, not previously owned" textiles that contain PFAS, with a few exceptions. "This is a first-in-the nation law to stop the use of these ‘forever chemicals’ in this product category, setting up a national model on the efforts to mitigate PFAS pollution," Assemblymember Phil Ting, author of the bill, said in a statement.
This is great news. The new regulations aren't perfect, but will go a long way in protecting consumers and the environment from toxic PFAS. While these laws are only for CA, their protections will ripple through the rest of the country.
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Check out our Fork the System podcasts... |
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Boston Bans Astro Turf, Which Is Linked to Forever Chemicals Boston has become the largest municipality in the U.S. to ban toxic plastic turf. AstroTurf and other brands of plastic turf contains toxic PFAS “Forever Chemicals” that poison you, your children and your pets. PFAS chemicals are linked to cancer, immune suppression, reproductive problems, and much more. “The city has a preference for grass playing surfaces wherever possible and will not be installing playing surfaces with PFAS chemicals moving forward,” the office of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said. There is absolutely no need for toxic plastic turf that leaches cancer-causing chemicals into our bodies and further pollutes our environment with microplastics. It’s just plain stupid. Ban toxic AstroTurf everywhere. |
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Toxin Free USA Sues Procter & Gamble for Oral-B Dental Floss Containing Toxic PFAS Toxin Free USA, a nonprofit dedicated to consumer protection and education, filed a lawsuit against Procter & Gamble (P&G) for deceptive marketing of Oral-B Glide dental floss based on results of a screening test for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Oral-B Glide floss prominently features “Pro-Health” on the packaging. P&G’s Pro-Health line is “aimed at consumers willing to pay more for products that touted health benefits, as opposed to flavor or cosmetic appeal.” But P&G fails to disclose PFAS in their products. |
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The Amazing Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly Watch the YouTube video to witness the life cycle and metamorphosis of the monarch and why milkweed plants are critically important. The video has timelapse sequences of a caterpillar transforming into a chrysalis and finally, the emergence of an adult butterfly. Appreciation. Advocacy. Action. Enjoy the videos and share with others. |
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World Food Day: People's Food Summit 2022 Please join us for the People’s Food Summit this Sunday, October 16! The People’s Food Summit is a truly participatory free online summit that empowers the majority of the world's food producers: the small-holder family farmers, pastoralists, and foresters who produce 70% of the food we eat. We will present the proven, farmer-based, real-world examples that are the future of our food and farming systems, including agroecology, organic and regenerative farming, permaculture, agroforestry, holistically managed grazing and many other systems. We hope to see you there! |
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Microplastics Found in Human Breast Milk For the First Time Exclusive: Researchers concerned over potential health impacts of chemical contaminants on babies. Infants are especially vulnerable to chemical contaminants and the scientists said further research was urgently needed. But they stressed that breastfeeding remained by far the best way to feed a baby. The breast milk samples were taken from 34 healthy mothers, a week after giving birth in Rome, Italy. Microplastics were detected in 75% of them. Previous research has shown toxic effects of microplastics in human cell lines, lab animals and marine wildlife but the impact on living humans remains unknown. Plastics often contain harmful chemicals, such as phthalates, which have been found in breast milk before. |
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Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ turns 60. Why it still resonates It's the 60th anniversary of the publishing of the book, Silent Spring, which sounded the alarm about society’s indiscriminate use of chemicals and made the science accessible to regular readers. “Silent Spring was originally released at a time when chemistry was just the top shelf in the economy. I mean, you had major companies —DuPont, Dow and others — making huge profits on these new substances,” said Jack Doyle, a mostly retired research analyst and author who writes about contemporary history and pop culture. But he said, it was also a time when science was trusted to create these “wonder products,” and there was no government agency to challenge their use and safety. “It was — use first, ask questions later,” Doyle said. “And the genie was out of the bottle. We’re still playing catch-up today.” |
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We’ve been asked these questions over and over. What do we buy? Where do we shop?
We’ve assembled a list of vetted stores where you can buy healthy, environmentally sustainable, and certified organic foods and products. When you shop with our affiliate links, we get a small percentage of sales, helping GMO/Toxin Free USA’s nonprofit work fighting unethical corporations and educating the public. Click to check out our affiliates here.
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GMO/Toxin Free USA
PO Box 458, | Unionville, Connecticut 06085
(347) 921-1466 | info@gmofreeusa.org |
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