December 2021

Today a group of more than 100 local, state, and national organizations sent a letter to REI’s CEO Eric Artz calling on the company to lead the outdoor apparel industry in a bold transition away from the entire class of toxic PFAS ‘forever chemicals.’ PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are often used for water-repellent, stain-resistant, and grease-proofing treatments on textiles like outdoor gear.

The letter states:

‘This holiday season we are asking you to give your customers the gift of a PFAS-free future… When REI members and customers buy presents for their friends and family from REI this holiday season, they expect the products to be safe, not laden with chemicals that are leaving a toxic trail of pollution around the world. Read more…

“Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in males and the fourth most common type overall, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. A reported 1.3 million new cases of prostate cancer occurred worldwide in 2018.

Previous research found that dietary fat in the typical Western diet can help prostate cancer tumors spread. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois at Chicago has found that a high fat diet and increased exposure to PFAS can speed up the development of prostate tumors. Read more…

Green cosmetic makers know their audience. One manufacturer, in addition to the standard lines about how long-lasting and colorful their product is, says that their lip tint is ‘cruelty-free,’ vegan, and made from wholesome ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter.

Missing from the product description is any reference to per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or ‘PFAS’ — although one tube of that particular liquid lipstick contained 865 parts per million of the PFAS indicator fluorine, according to a new investigation from the environmental wellness community and blog Mamavation. Read more…

During his 2020 campaign, President Biden pledged to make PFAS (poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances) a priority, including a commitment in his administration’s environmental justice plan to tackle PFAS by ‘prioritizing substitutes through procurement.’ The EPA’s recently released PFAS Strategic Roadmap included some important national commitments but lacked an upstream focus on pollution prevention.

Today, Safer Chemicals Healthy Families joined with 35 local, state, and national groups in sending a letter to the White House calling on the president to fulfill his campaign commitment. The groups called for a federal procurement mandate steering the federal government’s billions of dollars in annual purchasing toward PFAS-free products. Read more…