Protect Consumer Justice » U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA bans dangerous pesticide after farm workers sue

jg — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 21:15:01 +0000

Scientific American: The Environmental Protection Agency will ban the use of the insecticide endosulfan, which “can pose unacceptable neurological and reproductive risks to farmworkers and wildlife and can persist in the environment,” according to an agency news release. Marla Cone writes the chemical is chemically similar to DDT, which was banned in 1972, and endosulfan has already been banned in the European Union and other countries. The EPA’s announcement comes two years after advocates for farmworkers and the environment sued the agency for re-registering the pesticide for use.

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Baby bottle plastic a “chemical of concern”

jg — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 17:11:45 +0000

New York Times: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is listing a chemical used in baby bottles, soda cans and food containers as a “chemical of concern.” Bisphenol A is added to plastics to harden them and has been linked to heart disease and cancer in humans.

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Birth defects near hazardous waste landfill getting attention

jg — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 16:43:13 +0000

Fresno Bee: Cyndee Fontana has a story about residents of Kettelman City, California, who are finally getting attention from federal officials for a rash of birth defects among children born just a few miles from a huge hazardous waste landfill. “Academic, political and other experts say the issue finally reached a boiling point — influenced by a lawsuit over landfill expansion, in-your-face activism by residents and environmental groups and a crescendo of publicity about the town’s complaints.” Kettelman City was one of the areas where water supplies were contaminated by chromium 6, the case made famous in the movie “Erin Brockovich.“

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