A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles alleges that Disney has been dumping the waste from their on-site cooling systems since 1998. According to the suit, brought by Environmental Worldwatch, Inc and local residents, the company,

supplied, dumped, released and deposited and continues to supply, dump, release and deposit vast amounts of chromium 6, air cooling water and residues, and other various toxic waste materials.

The Disney corporation has so far declined to comment on the specifics of the case but are denying any wrongdoing.

Read more of this story »

The single mom of 3 has 2 kids with health problems and a small business to run. Her son had leukemia and her daughter had a brain tumor. She’s got her hands full, but she’s still fighting against her former hometown, where all three kids were born.

I’m so sad and angry and disappointed about this.

The Chicago Tribune reported on the Crestwood problem just the day before Earth Day. Their story claims that the village, population 11,000, served residents tainted water for 20 years. While Crestwood officials boasted that they had the cheapest water in the county–”Good to taste but not to waste!”–they were giving residents a “taste” of carcinogens.

Krause says her kids were directly affected by the cost-saving measures. She’s now suing the city of Crestwood.

Read more of this story »

Environment and Human Health contends that the used-tire mulch covering the playground causes skin and eye irritation and destroys mucus membranes, reports the Seattle Times. The group cites a review done by Sinai Hospital in New York in March that reported that playgrounds made from used tired tend to get very hot and can cause kids to get skin infections and inhale toxins and carcinogens.

Read more of this story »

Nonggongshan Supermarkets Corporation (Bless you!), based in Shanghai, said the concern over carcinogens pushed them to make the choice.

We have to be responsible to consumers and suspend sales of these products until they are proved safe.

Anyone else think it’s ironic that a store in China is making the move to protect consumers faster than any here in the States?

Read more of this story »

The company is launching a “Big Bubblin’ Stars” contest on YouTube behind its recently launched bubble-bath product, offering a grand prize of $10,000 and a chance for the winner to become host of a channel launched in 2005. To enter the contest, moms upload three-minute videos of their kids.

They’ve recruited hundreds of Mommy bloggers through Mom Central and, included the Wal-Mart Eleven Moms to promote the campaign.

Problem is…just this month The Campaign For Safe Cosmetics released a report, “No More Toxic Tub”. Lab test conducted by EWG found both Johnsons’ Baby Shampoo and two of their Baby washes include formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane, both ingredients linked to cancer and skin allergies.

Problem is…just this week a major supermarket, in CHINA of all places, pulled J&J products from their shelves over concerns about carcinogens and parents in China are REALLY upset!

Problem is…should J&J be going ahead with this campaign? J&J issued a carefully crafted statement to the 69.4 percent of Chinese parents who said THEY WOULD NOT BUY Johnson & Johnson baby products and 65.6 percent said they believed the products contained toxic ingredients. Yes, Johnson’s Baby Shampoo meets FDA regulations, but, well…do I need to go there?

Read more of this story »

In shocking news, the Canadian government has announced that two chemicals used in cosmetics are carcinogens that are severely harmful to human health. A further two chemicals found in lipstick and other personal care products have also been found to be highly toxic to the environment.

The two cancer-causing chemicals, isoprene and epichlorohydrin, have been added to the Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist to prevent their future use in cosmetics. Health Canada is also proposing that manufacturers use best-available technology to control releases of isoprene.

The cosmetics chemicals posing a danger to the environment are the siloxanes D4 and D5, which are used as emollients to soften the skin and are found in most personal care products on the market in Canada and the United States.

Read more of this story »

The situation involves not just the local governments but the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) and CDFA (California Department of Food and Agriculture) that claim that the LBAM will cause major destruction of crops in California. The feds think that we must take swift action or suffer the economic impact of quarantines, which they estimate will cost CA millions of dollars.

Something curious happened on the way to this economic thinking. To date, the LBAM has caused ZERO crop damage. The economic damage has been due only to quarantines imposed on the Golden State by Canada and Mexico. When the Feds sprayed Santa Cruz and Monterey counties last fall the counties recorded over 640 health problems. This number represented only the reported cases, and conservative estimates of actual health impacts by local agencies put the number of cases at ten times the number of reports claimed.

Read more of this story »

Join Chic for a Cause : Stop the Spray ~ Our Body, Our Decision   

What? A fashion fundraiser to grow awareness about opposing the harmful effects of the aerial spraying of pesticides. When? May 30, 2008 Where? Muse Studios, 224 6th St. San Francisco, CA 94103 Time? 6-9 pm Admission? $10 Why? To stop the “Light Brown Apple Moth program” which is really a toxin dump on California! 

Last fall a pesticide was dumped on Californians that included ingredients that are carcinogens, mutagens as well as other toxic chemicals in microcapsules that reach deep lung tissue. Soon after spraying in 2007, 600 plus reports of illness were recorded such as respiratory distress, nausea and vomiting, as well as serious skin irritations. Now the spray is back and we need to take a stand! Sign the petition, participate in events if possible, and please help educate others.

Read more of this story »

Shirley: When the Environmental Working Group last week announced its release of an updated and expanded "Skin Deep," its online database of chemicals in cosmetics, my first reaction was, "That's great. At least someone is keeping an eye on what goes into the stuff we put on our faces, hair and skin." (The EWG says it created Skin Deep to provide consumers with information that's not required by the federal government — i.e., whether the ingredients in our personal-care products are proven to be safe, or not.)

But as I spent a little time exploring the extensive data online, I started wondering, "Are we worrying too much about every little thing instead of focusing our energies on the greatest environmental hazards?" That is, should we be as concerned about the potential dangers of parabens in lipstick, phthalates in toys and possible endocrine disruptors in pesticide-sprayed produce when we've got global warming, depleted topsoils, desertification, shrinking biodiversity and other far-reaching problems?

Ultimately, I think, the short answer is, yes. While it can be overwhelming trying to keep track of every possible environmental hazard, I find that every bit of information I gain about the "little" dangers helps me make better decisions that might also diminish the "big" dangers. Maybe phthalates in toys and shower curtains might (or might not) interfere with my toddler son's normal endocrine development, but if I choose all-natural wood toys or hemp shower curtains instead, I'm adding a little less plastic to the world and supporting companies that are probably smaller, more sustainable and more environmentally aware. I'm not going to live in fear of every bit of plastic or every synthetic substance that might be lurking in my home, but the less of it I have, the more responsibly and healthily I believe I'm living.

Skin Deep: The Cosmetics Database