Forsythia-Related News
Chemical Pollution and the Need to Transition to Sustainable Chemistry, UBS, Summer 2023
UBS, a member of the Investor Environmental Health Network, pointed out the importance of transitioning to sustainable chemistry as well as the failure of a GDP-driven economy in accounting for the true cost of toxic chemical substances. The article referenced a definition of sustainable chemistry developed by Lowell Center for Sustainable Production and Beyond Benign.
Three ‘Forever Chemicals’ Makers Settle Public Water Lawsuits, The New York Times, Summer 2023
Three major chemical companies, Chemours, DuPont and Corteva, reached an agreement in principle to set up a $1.19 billion fund to help remove toxic PFAS from public drinking water systems.
For Years, the EPA and Texas Ignored Warning Signs at a Chemical Storage Site. Then an Inferno Erupted. Public Health Watch, Spring 2023
In partnership with The Texas Tribune, Public Health Watch published a two-part series on a petrochemical fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, Texas, in March 2019. The fire, caused by equipment failure at a storage tank, released toxic chemicals into nearby communities for weeks.
Texas to New Jersey: Tracking the Toxic Chemicals in the Ohio Train Inferno, The New York Times, Spring 2023
A freight train carrying more than 100,000 gallons of hazardous chemicals derailed and burned in East Palestine, Ohio in 2023, setting off a panic over rail safety and the toxic fallout for communities downwind. An analysis published by Toxic-Free Future found that PVC plastics plants reported releasing more than 400,000 pounds of vinyl chloride into the air in 2021.
E.P.A. to Designate PFAS, or ‘Forever Chemicals,’ as Hazardous, The New York Times, Summer 2022
In August 2022, EPA proposed to designate the two most commonly detected toxic “forever chemicals”, PFOA and PFOS, as hazardous substances. The action requires companies to assess and report to the government when the chemicals seep into water or soil, and could make companies responsible for any cleanup costs. This proposal is celebrated by two Forsythia Foundation’s partners, Defend Our Health and Environmental Working Group.
Chemicals in everyday products are spurring obesity, warns a new review, Environmental Health News, Spring 2022
Study finds that obesogens, chemicals that can cause the human body to produce more fat than it normally would, exist in everyday products and are contributing to the rising obesity rates in the U.S. This contributor to obesity needs more recognition and attention from the medical community.
The True Cost of PFAS and the Benefits of Acting Now, Environmental Science & Technology, Summer 2021
This review of the true costs of PFAS highlights the need to act now to ensure that exposures are capped at current levels by reducing the production and use of PFAS. It calls attention to systematic failures of U.S. chemical regulation, including inadequate premarket review of new compounds, data gaps that prevent and delay the regulation of existing chemicals, and the widespread externalization of social costs of pollution onto the public.
Safer Materials in Food Packaging Report, Safer Made, Winter 2019
In fall 2018, Forsythia Foundation partnered with Safer Made to commission a report on the innovations and opportunities for green chemistry solutions in food packaging, with an eye on identifying and elevating promising solutions to reduce our exposure to toxics through the food we eat.
Saving Us From Toxic Chemicals, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), Winter 2019
UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) formally announces the launch of the Alison S. Carlson Endowed Professorship, which is currently held by Tracey Woodruff. Woodruff is at the helm of the program, which works at the intersection of academia, policy, and science to identify, measure, and prevent the exposure of toxic chemicals that affect human reproduction and development.
Nonstick PFAS Chemicals in Takeout Packaging, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, Fall 2018
Safer Chemicals Healthy Families partnered with Toxic-Free Future to conduct research on food and takeout packaging from products in the nation’s top grocery stores. The researchers discovered that nearly two-thirds of paper takeout containers are likely to be coated with PFAS chemicals while there are PFAS-free alternatives available yet remain underutilized.
Forever Chemicals Are Everywhere, Washington Post, Winter 2018
In this Washington Post op-ed, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Joseph G. Allen remarks on the dangers of persistent “Forever Chemicals,” also known as chemicals with a fluorine-carbon backbone. Commonly found in our cookware, drinking water, and the furniture in our homes; these “Forever Chemicals” are already present in the blood of 98 percent of Americans and exposure is strongly linked to cancer and high cholesterol.
“Trump’s Legacy: Damaged Brains”, New York Times, Fall 2017
In this New York Times op-ed, Nicholas Kristoff remarks on the Trump Administrations reversal of banning a nerve-gas derivative, chlorpyrifos, which is ubiquitous in pesticides be used in agriculture, the water supply, household products, and more. This chemical is shown to alter the structure of your brain and is linked to cancer and Parkinson’s disease.
The Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, Fall 2017
In this comprehensive study of the health impacts of global pollution, a group of leading scientists and economists found that pollution was linked to nine million deaths worldwide in 2015, which is equivalent to one in six deaths. Further, it found that welfare losses due to pollution were estimated to cost more than $4.6 trillion each year, equivalent to 6.2% of global economic output. Read the full report for a detailed discussion of the methodology and findings and this press release from the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution for highlights.
“Mr. Trump Outdoes Himself in Picking a Conflicted Regulator”, New York Times, Fall 2017
In this New York Times op-ed, the Editorial Board shares the industry-friendly history of the Trump Administration’s nomination of Michael Dourson to lead the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and its implication on regulating chemicals harmful to human health.
“Why Has the E.P.A. Shifted on Toxic Chemicals? An Industry Insider Helps Call the Shots”, New York Times, Fall 2017
Eric Lipton provides a detailed account of the history of the EPA and federal toxics regulation, with a focus on the current federal administration’s intimate relationship with industry and its implications on human health.
“60 MiNueTs”, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), Summer 2017
In this compelling short video series, UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) interviews the nation’s top scientists and physicians to provide insight into the toxic movements through an environmental health and public health lens.
“Are the Chemicals We Encounter Every Day Making Us Sick?”, University of California at San Francisco (UCSF), Summer 2017
In this profile on UCSF’s Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE), Dr. Tracey Woodruff discusses the intersection of medicine, science, and policy advocacy, and how to best integrate these disciplines to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants that affect human reproduction and development.
Green Science Policy Institute (GSPI) Launches Six Classes Video Campaign, Summer 2017
In a series of compelling short videos, GSPI shares more information about each of its six chemical classes of concern and action items for everyday consumers. GSPI frames toxics work on six classes of chemicals, instead of on individual chemicals, in order to more effectively reduce and replace entire groups of toxic chemical compounds that have similar harmful properties.
“The Womb Is No Protection From Toxic Chemicals“, New York Times, Spring 2017
In this New York Times op-ed, a public health expert makes the case to increase chemical regulation that will reduce everyday exposure of toxic chemicals for children, pregnant women, and their fetuses.
Green Chemistry and Commerce Council (GC3) Launches Preservative Challenge, Spring 2017
The GC3, a cross-sectoral network promoting green chemistry in supply chains, has launched a global competition to identify innovators developing preservatives with improved environmental health and safety profiles for use in cosmetics, personal care and household products. Entrants must submit their proposals by August 24, 2017, and the challenge will award three to five cash prizes from the $175,000 prize pool, with a minimum single prize award of $25,000.
“How businesses are responding to rising demand for chemical transparency“, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, Spring 2017
Clean Production Action’s Bev Thorpe details the rise of companies disclosing their chemical ingredients in response to consumer demand. She states: “The business case for knowing the chemicals in your products has now evolved to the business case for becoming publicly accountable.”