Latest News

August 22, 2019

Release: Trump's EPA Ignores Threat of Hazardous Spills

Washington, DC – The Environmental Protection Agency made clear today that it will continue ignoring its responsibility to curtail chemical spills from industrial facilities, a decision that is in blatant disregard of the Clean Water Act and a settlement the agency agreed to in court. Read More

August 8, 2019

News: Refineries Across America Could Create Catastrophic Acid Clouds. It Almost Happened In Philly.

Last month’s explosion at a 150-year-old oil refinery in Philadelphia could have forced 1.1 million people to evacuate. Read More

August 5, 2019

News: Exxon Refinery Explosion Another By-Product of Trump Deregulation

The Trump administration is working to roll back a chemical safety disaster rule, putting communities like Baytown, Texas, at risk. Read More

July 18, 2019

Watch: Introducing the Equitable and Just Climate Platform

For too long, systemic racism and injustice have left economically disadvantaged communities, tribal communities, and communities of color particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

A coalition of environmental justice and national climate organizations are proud to announce the Equitable and Just National Climate Platform, a commitment that advances the goals of economic, racial, climate and environmental justice to improve the public health and well-being of all communities, while tackling the climate crisis. Environmental justice advocates and national environmental organizations have committed to advocate this historic, bold platform that lays out our shared vision and goals. Watch the video here. Read More

July 18, 2019

Release: Environmental Justice and National Environmental Groups Advance a Historic Joint Climate Platform

Washington, D.C. — To confront the widening dangers of our climate crisis, leading U.S. environmental justice and national environmental groups today are advancing for the first time an Equitable and Just National Climate Platform.

This bold and historic platform highlights a shared vision and calls for national climate action that confronts racial, economic, and environmental injustice as it enacts deep cuts in climate pollution and accelerates a pollution-free energy future that benefits all communities. Read More

June 12, 2019

Blog: Campaign Pushes for Fresh, Local Food at Dollar General

On May 29, 2019, a delegation from the Campaign for Healthier Solutions’ non-toxic dollar stores project attended the annual Dollar General shareholder meeting in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. We were there to insist that Dollar General phase out toxic chemicals from its consumer products and source locally grown, fresh produce to better protect the health of their consumers, workers, and frontline communities. With more than 15,000 stores, Dollar General is the largest retail chain in the United States and more than 75 percent of people in this country live within five miles of a store. Read More

June 13, 2019

Release: Parents and Health Experts Praise Dollar Tree for Toxic Chemical Progress, Criticize Lack of Transparency and Junk Food 'Zones'

Chesapeake, VA — Today, customers and parents attended the annual shareholder meeting of Dollar Tree, Inc. and urged executives to tell the public what progress they are making toward their commitment to remove 17 highly-hazardous chemicals from products it sells. They also asked executives to move toward selling fresh fruit and vegetables in its 'snack zone' concept rather than just junk food. Dollar Tree executives did not announce new policies to protect customers, but said they are listening to shareholder concerns and trying to do the right thing. They also said they plan to issue another sustainability report before the end of this year which will summarize the company's progress on efforts to address toxic chemicals in products. Read More

May 30, 2019

News: Dollar stores moving to pull dangerous plastics from shelves

Dollar stores, those ubiquitous businesses that sell everything from bathroom cleaner to eggs, are starting to take action that begins to right what consumer advocates call a clear wrong: Many of the plastic products on their shelves contain chemicals that can have grave health effects for their customers. Read More

May 29, 2019

Release: Toxic Chemical Activists Pressure Dollar General Executives

Nashville, TN — The Campaign for Healthier Solutions, a coalition of health experts, parents, and concerned customers, attended Dollar General Corporation's annual shareholder meeting and urged the national discount retailer to take action to protect customers from toxic chemicals found in products, toys, and food sold by the chain. After purchasing shares to gain access to the meeting, these customers and experts shared their concerns directly with executives and some of the corporation's top shareholders and encouraged steps toward publicly accountable chemicals management policies as other retailers have already done. The campaign also held a brief meeting with the Dollar General executive team following the shareholder activities but no new actions toward customer health and safety were announced. Read More

May 29, 2019

Difusión: Padres de Familia y Expertos en Materia de la Salud Asisten a Junta Anual de Accionistas de Dollar General para Enfatizar Preocupaciones sobre Sustancias Químicas Toxicas en Productos

Nashville, TN — Una coalición de expertos en materia de la salud, padres de familia y consumidores consternados asistieron a la junta anual de accionistas de la Corporación de Dollar General e instaron a la cadena nacional de descuentos a tomar medidas para proteger a sus clientes de sustancias químicas toxicas halladas en productos, juguetes, y alimentos de venta por la cadena. Después de haber adquirido acciones de la empresa para poder tener acceso a la reunión, estos consumidores y expertos compartieron sus preocupaciones directamente con los ejecutivos y algunos de los accionistas más grandes de la empresa y los alentaron a tomar medidas hacia políticas de manejo de sustancias químicas con rendición de cuentas al público así como ya lo han hecho otras cadenas de tiendas. Activistas llevaron a cabo una breve reunión con el equipo ejecutivo de Dollar General que tuvo lugar después de las actividades de los accionistas, pero no se anunció ninguna acción hacia la salud y seguridad de los consumidores. Read More

May 24, 2019

Blog: The US dithers while the rest of the world bans toxic drinking water pollutants

In February 2019, under growing public and political pressure, the US EPA finally announced plans to address PFOS and PFOA, two toxic chemicals widespread in drinking water that are still unregulated in the US after decades of use. Instead of praise, the EPA announcement triggered anger after the public realized that the agency will conduct years of assessment before actually regulating them. US residents may be more incensed if they know that the rest of the world has already acted globally on these substances. Read More

May 9, 2019

Release: Environmental Justice Council Urges EPA to Change Course

Washington, DC — The US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) issued formal recommendations to EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler, urging the agency to address two issues vital to environmental justice communities and public health. Grassroots organizations and people who live in impacted environmental justice communities praised NEJAC's recommendations to the EPA.  Read More

May 6, 2019

Release: Dollar Tree Moves To Address Toxic Chemicals in Products

One of the nation's largest discount retail chains, Dollar Tree Stores Inc, has taken an important step toward increased health and safety for customers by joining the Chemical Footprint Project, a bench-marking metric that helps companies assess their market risk from toxic chemicals and understand the opportunities for safer chemicals in its supply chain. This decision may carry important implications for public health, consumer rights, and Dollar Tree's extensive supply chain, as the discount retailer is a Fortune 200 company which operates over 15,000 stores across the United States and Canada. Grassroots justice groups cheered this step toward quantifying toxic chemical risks—but also warned it falls short of a more complete, transparent and protective toxic chemical policy, which should include public disclosures and specific goals to reduce hazardous chemical use. Read More

April 22, 2019

Watch: Life at the Fenceline - Our Video Collaboration with NRDC and Rashida Jones

See our stunning new animated video collaboration with EJHA, NRDC and Rashida Jones: Life at the Fenceline. 

High-risk chemical facilities threaten the lives of nearly 40% of all US residents with catastrophic explosions or poison gas leaks — do you live in a potential chemical disaster zone? Read More

April 18, 2019

News: 99 Cents Only stores carry products with toxic chemicals, protesters say

Environmental activists are calling on the 99 Cent Only store chain to clear their shelves of products with toxic chemicals.

"Four years ago we walked 150,000 petition signatures in there from their customers who wanted toxics out of products and they haven't listened," said Jose Bravo, with the Campaign for Healthier Solutions.

The group told Eyewitness News they conducted testing on some of the chain's products and found chemicals linked to cancer and the disruption of hormone levels. Read More

April 17, 2019

Release: 99 Cents Only Executives Agree to Meet and Discuss Customer’s Concerns About Toxic Chemicals in Easter Products

Los Angeles, CA — As shoppers rush to dollar stores for last-minute Easter Holiday supplies, toys, and candy, allied organizations with the environmental justice group, Campaign for Healthier Solutions, held their own ‘Toxic Easter Egg Activity’ outside the headquarters of LA-based dollar store chain, 99 Cents Only Stores.  Children searched for products purchased from 99 Cents Only Stores that didn’t contain toxic chemicals—but had no way to know if each product was safe because the chain has no public toxic chemical policies or protections for customers and their children. Executives from 99 Cents Only Stores agreed to meet with the campaign and discuss customer's concerns but did not commit to any action to protect them from toxic chemicals. Read More

April 16, 2019

Ejecutivos de 99 Cents Only Acuerdan una Reunión para Dialogar Sobre las Preocupaciones de sus Clientes Sobre Sustancias Químicas Tóxicas en sus Productos de Pascua

Los Ángeles, CA — Mientras consumidores acuden a las tiendas de dólar para adquirir materiales, juguetes, y dulces, organizaciones aliadas con el grupo de justiciar ambiental, Campaña para Soluciones Saludables, llevó a cabo su propia ‘Búsqueda de Huevos de Pascua Tóxico’ en Los Ángeles afuera de la sede nacional de la cadena de tiendas de dólar, 99 Cents Only.  Niños buscaron entre los productos adquiridos de tiendas de 99 Cents Only con el fin de encontrar aquellos que no incluían sustancias químicas toxicas – pero no tenían manera de saber si los productos eran seguros ya que la cadena no tiene una política disponible al público sobre las sustancias químicas, ni ofrece protecciones para sus consumidores y sus hijos.  Ejecutivos de las tiendas de 99 Cents Only acordaron reunirse con la campaña para dialogar sobre las preocupaciones de sus consumidores sobre sustancias químicas toxicas pero no se comprometieron a ninguna acción. Read More

April 4, 2019

News: One dead, two seriously injured in fire at KMCO specialty chemical plant in Houston area

“From Hurricane Katrina to Hurricane Harvey, we’ve repeatedly witnessed communities inundated by toxic flood waters—laced with an unknown concoction of hazardous chemical substances. Black, brown, and poor communities are more likely to be impacted by chemical spills and suffer the health impacts of pollution,” says Michele Roberts, National Co-Coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance. Read More

April 3, 2019

News: Environmental justice advocates have questions after Croda settlement

Delaware Concerned Residents for Environmental Justice (an EJHA affiliate) is featured in this piece about the toxic ethylene oxide leak eminating from Croda Industries.

“Fines are meant to discourage polluters from violating again,” said Lambert. “If you look at that fine, if it were doubled or even tripled, it would still be a slap on the wrist. So with that being said, that fine isn’t acceptable.” Read More

April 2, 2019

OpEd: Why We Need Organic for All?

An OpEd by Jeannie Economos and Virginia Ruiz with our Farmworker Health and Justice Team:

"Many people choose organic food in order to protect themselves and their families from exposure to pesticides. But choosing organic also means helping to create a healthier food system for everyone, from farm to table. Far too often, discussions about pesticides in the food system exclude the men, women, and children who plant, tend, and harvest our food." Read More