Content Archive
Year
September 17, 2020
News: The EPA cut back enforcement during COVID. These researchers are assessing the damage
Six months after the agency announced its temporary enforcement policy, a picture of its effects is slowly beginning to emerge. Self-reported data from industrial polluters collected by the EPA shows that these facilities conducted 40 percent fewer emission tests at smokestacks in March and April this year compared to the same period last year. Also, while only 325 facilities notified the EPA that they would be unable to submit water quality reports as required during those two months, more than 16,500 facilities simply did not submit them — that’s the fourth-highest amount of noncompliance in the last 20 years, according to an analysis of the agency’s own data. Read More
September 14, 2020
Blog: Toxic Pink Packaging
The European Union has banned over 1,300 chemicals from use in cosmetics. The US has banned 11. EU laws require that manufacturers prove chemicals are safe before they can be used in a product. In the US, chemicals are not always banned even if they potentially cause cancer; contain neuro- and immunotoxins; or contain hormone disruptors that could cause birth defects. Read More
August 24, 2020
News: The Rise of Environmental Justice
For all the hardships it delivered, 2020 may be remembered as an awakening for America. The outpouring of protest under the banner of Black Lives Matter this summer fostered a discussion of systemic racism that touches on all aspects of economic and social life. Environmental racism, characterized by the disproportionate impact of pollution on people of color, came to the fore as another reason for the cry of “I can’t breathe.” And a nearly 40-year-old civil rights movement for environmental justice found new momentum. But life for people at the industrial fenceline, as evidenced by three communities profiled in this article, continues to be a constant battle. Read More
August 12, 2020
Blog: U.S. study shows switch to organic diet can quickly clear pesticide from our bodies
A new study published Tuesday found that after switching to an organic diet for just a few days, people could cut the levels of a pesticide linked to cancer found in their urine by more than 70 percent. Read More
August 5, 2020
News: Bridging the Water Access Gap Through COVID-19 Relief
As the number of COVID-19 cases continues to climb, guidance around how to control the virus’s spread has become a steady drumbeat: Wash your hands, wipe down surfaces, and stay home. Implicit in these recommendations is the assumption that households have safe and clean running water and indoor plumbing. But for more than 2 million people across the United States, that basic human right remains out of reach. Read More
August 3, 2020
We're hiring a Food Justice Organizer!
Coming Clean is seeking a Food Justice Organizer to lead collaborative projects, grounded in grassroots priorities and leadership, to improve community health, wealth, self-determination, and food sovereignty by increasing availability of locally and sustainably-grown produce and food products, as part of a just transition away from toxic and unjust products and systems. Our food programs advance our overall mission of reforming the industrial chemical and fossil fuel industries so they are no longer a source of harm, and securing systemic changes that allow a safe chemical and clean energy economy to flourish, while leaving no community behind. Read More
August 1, 2020
News: How Joe Biden’s surprisingly ambitious climate plan came together
This spring, with the Democratic nomination locked up, Biden’s campaign faced an imperative challenge: to demonstrate to the liberal wing of the party — including skeptical environmental activists — that he was their guy, that he understood the urgency of the problem and that he would craft a transformative plan to meet the moment.
Over three months, the campaign invited ideas from the young climate crusaders, union officials, environmental justice leaders and former Democratic rivals.
Read More
July 14, 2020
News: Minority Communities Hail Biden’s Plan for Environmental Justice
Environmental justice activists are applauding Joe Biden’s clean energy plan, unveiled Tuesday, because of how it focuses on communities of color that have long suffered from exposure to pollution. Read More
July 9, 2020
News: Why the Larger Climate Movement Is Finally Embracing the Fight Against Environmental Racism
For decades, environmental-justice advocates in the U.S. have worked to bring attention to the heightened environmental risks faced by communities of color: higher levels of lead exposure, higher risks of facing catastrophic flooding, and poorer air quality, to name just a few. But progress has been slow on the national stage as the most powerful groups fighting for environmental rules, not to mention government leaders, have largely ignored them. Today, that conversation is changing. Read More
July 7, 2020
Op-Ed: Black lives should matter in the medicine cabinet, too
Written by M. Isabelle Chaudry, human rights advocate and senior policy manager for the National Women's Health Network, a member of Coming Clean.
For decades, the company has marketed a product in Black communities thought to cause cancer: Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder. The company continues to do so today. For many Black women, including myself, the use of talcum powder — especially Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder — has long been a daily part of their self-care routine. Understanding these cultural norms, Johnson & Johnson engaged in aggressive, targeted marketing tactics among Black women for years, without disclosing the potential risks associated with use. Read More
June 25, 2020
Blog: Black Lives Matter and the Environment
Black lives matter. As we contemplate the scope of structural racism, we find that “Black Lives Matter” needs to be said over and over again. We say it as we push for policing that protects rather than threatens. And we can keep saying it. Like when we talk about having available, affordable health care. Having access to technology and broadband, a quiet space, and time when the classroom becomes off limits due to a pandemic or climate-driven extreme weather. Finding an affordable place to live and landlords who don’t discriminate. Finding meaningful work and getting a promotion. Finding fresh food. Getting respect. Read More
June 21, 2020
News: Louisville’s 'Black Lives Matter' Demonstrations Continue a Long Quest for Environmental Justice
A month before thousands began marching here, day after day, to protest the police killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and a woman here named Breonna Taylor, a professor at the University of Louisville was a co-author on a study that identified another killer targeting Black lives: toxic pollutants. Read More
June 16, 2020
News: Environmental justice in the spotlight
Unrest over police brutality, combined with the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on African Americans, Latinos and other minorities, has swiftly turned into a broader national reckoning over structural racism. That has elevated the perspectives of the environmental justice movement, a network of grassroots activists who push for climate change and sustainability policies that prioritize communities of color, which are exposed to greater levels of pollution and therefore are at greater risk of dying from the pandemic. Read More
June 11, 2020
Release: Dollar Tree Must Do More To Eliminate Hazardous Chemicals From Its Stores, Environmental Justice Advocates Say
The Campaign for Healthier Solutions (CHS), which is dedicated to getting toxic products out of dollar stores and helping them stock local, sustainably-produced healthy foods, is deeply concerned Dollar Tree did not express during its annual meeting of shareholders Thursday a commitment to going beyond its previously-stated goal of removing 17 highly-hazardous chemicals from the products it sells by 2020. Read More
June 3, 2020
Coming Clean Stands in Solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement, Denounces Police Brutality and White Supremacy
Coming Clean stands in solidarity with those protesting the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery and the culture of white supremacy and systemic racism that has caused the senseless loss of lives of countless other Black men, women and even children in our country at the hands of people and institutions that regularly escape being held accountable for their actions.
June 1, 2020
Blog: Children deserve toxic-free food—especially during a pandemic
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of highly processed food have skyrocketed as families understandably seek shelf-stable products and comfort food during these challenging times. And while we may joke about the “COVID-19” pounds of weight gain from our shelter-in-place diets, there are also less obvious chemical hazards hidden in our processed food. Read More
May 29, 2020
News: Heroes Act Provision Aims to Fund Environmental Justice Efforts
This month, House Democrats passed the $3 trillion HEREOS Act. This act would give $50 million to Environmental Protection Agency grant programs aimed at alleviating environmental problems that disproportionately affect communities of color, including exacerbating susceptibility to COVID-19.
“We think that it is about high time that environmental justice communities are referenced and mentioned in this,” said Michele Roberts, national co-coordinator for the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform. Read More
May 29, 2020
Release: Dollar General Reaffirms New Chemicals Policy, But More Action is Needed, Advocates Say
The Campaign for Healthier Solutions (CHS), which is dedicated to getting toxic products out of dollar stores and helping them stock local, sustainably-produced healthy foods, is pleased Dollar General reaffirmed its commitment to removing eight toxic chemicals from its private label cleaning and beauty/personal care products during its annual meeting of shareholders this week, and that company CEO Todd Vasos expressed an interest in expanding the availability of fresh foods and purchasing locally-grown produce. Read More
May 6, 2020
Blog: Responder al COVID-19 no tiene que significar sacrificar a las comunidades vulnerables
En su respuesta a la crisis COVID-19, es imperativo que el gobierno no cargue a las comunidades vulnerables y a los trabajadores esenciales con las consecuencias de decisiones apresuradas. Read More
May 6, 2020
Blog: Responding to COVID-19 Doesn’t Have to Mean Sacrificing Frontline Communities
As the U.S. government responds to the COVID-19 crisis, it is imperative that frontline communities and essential workers are not saddled with the cost of hastily made decisions. Read More
April 29, 2020
Release: Affected Communities Urge The Environmental Protection Agency To End The Free Pass It Is Giving Polluters
More than 150 affected communities, environmental justice organizations and other groups are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind or replace its policy allowing companies to stop reporting how much they pollute under the guise of COVID-19. Read More
April 16, 2020
News: Green groups sue after EPA suspends enforcement of pollution monitoring due to coronavirus
Environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over a March memo signaling that the agency would not seek penalties against companies that do not monitor their pollution during the coronavirus outbreak. Read the full story on The Hill. Read More
April 16, 2020
Release: Groups Sue EPA Over Free Pass for Polluters Amid Pandemic
Coming Clean, the Environmental Justice Health Alliance and many other partners have joined forces with the National Resources Defense Council to sue the EPA in order to protect people from pollution during the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
April 13, 2020
Blog: Desinfectantes más seguros en estos tiempos de coronavirus
Desde ase mucho tiempo que hemos destacado el mensaje que hoy en día, en nuestra sociedad, estamos desinfectando mucho con químicos que son innecesariamente potentes. La práctica de desinfectar el hogar ha, generalmente, demostrado de poco a ningún beneficio de salud y hemos expresado nuestras preocupaciones que los químicos en los desinfectantes están causando daños a la salud. Pero siempre hemos dicho – que en circunstancias excepcionales – como cuando se sabe de la presencia enfermedades contagiosas o para la gente con sistemas inmunológicos comprometidos, hay tiempo y lugares apropiados para desinfectar. Y ahora tenemos la pandemia de Coronavirus – una circunstancia excepcional. Entonces, ¿Qué hacemos? Y, ¿Cómo lo hacemos de manera segura? Read More
April 13, 2020
Blog: Safer Disinfecting at home in the times of Coronavirus
We have long been emphasizing the message that in our society today, disinfecting is largely being overdone, with chemicals that are unnecessarily strong. The practice of disinfecting at home has generally demonstrated little to no health benefit and we have expressed concern that the harsh disinfectant chemicals are actually causing health harms. But we have always maintained – that in exceptional circumstances – like known presence of contagious disease in a location, or for people with compromised immune systems, there can be an appropriate time and place for targeted disinfecting. And now we have the Coronavirus pandemic – an exceptional circumstance indeed. So, what do we do? And how can we do it safely? Read More
April 3, 2020
Blog: La industria petroquímica amenaza la salud pública con la coartada del COVID-19
En tiempos de crisis, como la presente pandemia, suele haber un aluvión de actos de bondad humana. También están aquellos que convierten la crisis en oportunidad -- para ellos mismos. Algunos acopian desinfectantes de manos y otros productos esenciales hasta que sus precios se disparan. Pero las industrias química y de combustibles fósiles dieron un golpe mucho mayor al obtener un pase libre del presidente-- específicamente, el final de la vigilancia ambiental sobre sus operaciones, permitiendo a las compañías emitir contaminantes al aire y al agua sin consecuencias. Read More
April 3, 2020
Blog: The Petrochemical Industry Threatens Public Health Under the Cover of COVID-19
In times of crisis such as the current pandemic, there is often a surge in acts of human kindness. Then there are those who turn the crisis into opportunity – for themselves. Some stockpile hand sanitizers and other essentials until their prices jump. But the fossil fuels and chemical industries have pulled off a much greater heist by obtaining a presidential hall pass -- namely, the end of environmental oversight over their operations, allowing companies to release air and water pollutants without consequence. Read More
April 1, 2020
Advisory: Groups Petition EPA Over Reckless Non-Enforcement Policy
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Coming Clean, the Environmental Justice Health Alliance, and The Climate Justice Alliance call on the EPA to protect public health and overburdened communities from pollution during the coronavirus pandemic. Read the full press release and petition on NRDC's website. Read More
March 27, 2020
Release: Numerous Groups Denounce EPA’s “Free Pass” for Polluters
Environmental justice advocates, scientists, public health experts, affected community members and others joined forces Friday to declare their outrage that the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a sweeping suspension of its enforcement of environmental laws under cover of the coronavirus pandemic. Read More
March 13, 2020
Release: Court Approves Settlement Requiring EPA Rules on Most Dangerous Chemical Spills
New York, N.Y. – The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York approved a consent decree between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and a coalition of community and environmental organizations, including the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform (EJHA), Clean Water Action, and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Read More
February 24, 2020
Release: A Day Before White House Public Hearing on Proposed Environmental Rollbacks, A Louisiana Couple Tells Their Story About Living with Cumulative Toxic Pollution
Washington, D.C. — Today, the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform, Coming Clean and the Center for American Progress released a new video highlighting the story of Christine and Delma Bennett, longtime residents of Mossville, Louisiana, who have suffered from years of exposure to toxic pollution and environmental racism. Read More
February 11, 2020
Difusión: 99 Cents Only Stores Se Quedan Cortos en Comparación con Otras Tiendas de Dólar en La Eliminación Gradual de Sustancias Químicas Dañinas, dicen Manifestantes Afuera de la Sede de la Empresa el día de Hoy
Se reunieron manifestantes afuera de la sede de 99 Cents Only Stores hoy en Commerce, California, exigiendo que la cadena de tiendas de descuentos deje de vender productos con sustancias químicas toxicas ligadas a anomalías congénitas, el cáncer, las discapacidades del aprendizaje y otras enfermedades serias. Las comunidades en donde operan 99 Cents Only Stores son primordialmente personas de color y de bajos ingresos, mismos que ya se encuentran expuestos en un nivel desproporcional a daños ambientales y sufren de disparidades económicas y de la salud. Read More
February 11, 2020
Release: 99 Cents Only Stores Lagging Behind Other Dollar Stores in Phasing Out Harmful Chemicals, Say Protesters Outside Company HQ Today
Protesters gathered outside 99 Cents Only Stores headquarters today in Commerce, California, demanding that the discount chain stop selling products with toxic chemicals linked to birth defects, cancer, learning disabilities, and other serious illnesses. The communities served by 99 Cents Only Stores are predominantly people of color and low-income, already disproportionately
exposed to environmental harm and suffering from economic and health disparities. Read More