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New York's chemical policies are
broken. We each carry as many as 300 industrial chemicals in our bodies
that our great grandparents did not. Ninety percent of the chemicals on
the market today have no publicly available health data. Yet
manufacturers continue to use them in their products and our government
continues to allow them to be produced and used without adequate
assurance of safety, putting children, communities, and workers at
risk. Diseases linked to these chemicals are on the rise, including
birth defects, infertility, asthma, neurological problems, and some
forms of cancer. At the front lines of this chemical assault -- at the
fencelines of polluting facilities, in workplaces handling hazardous
materials, in pesticide-laden agricultural fields, and in the wombs of
mothers -- the burden is greatest.
Citizens Environmental Coalition is promoting a positive vision of a sustainable future that prevents pollution and waste, protects the health of New York residents and invests in a greener economy and jobs, while eliminating the degradation of the environment and the negative outcomes associated with end-of-pipe solutions. This year we are taking a multi-faceted approach to advocate for major chemical policy reform.
CEC is working on these projects with our partner groups in the Alliance for a Toxic-Free Future, which comprises key grassroots groups including Finger Lakes Citizens for the Environment, environmental justice groups such as Sustainable South Bronx, labor groups like NY Committee on Occupational Safety & Health, unions like Civil Service Employees Association, and health groups like NYS Nurses Association. With ATFF, CEC has a diverse, grassroots base of groups to effectively pressure policymakers and help make sure laws are adequately implemented and funded.
Please click on the links for our Green Building Guide, Toxic Flame Retardant Ban,
and Toxic PVC
to learn more about our work fighting to transform New York's policies so that they truly protect our health and environment from highly toxic chemicals, promote safer technologies and jobs, and build support for federal policy reform.
 CEC is working with the Governor's office and many state agencies to implement the State Agency Green Purchasing Executive Order which was released by Governor David Paterson in April. We are asking the state to appoint key health, environmental and labor groups on the Advisory Council. The new administrative policy, which was largely developed by CEC, requires agencies to purchase environmentally-friendly products and develop sustainability and stewardship programs. This is important because it ensures that the $9 billion worth of goods that New York purchases annually are helping to reduce the environmental impacts of the state’s operations, create markets for sustainable technologies, and reduce disposal costs. CEC will be advocating for the creation of a "priority chemical avoidance list" to phase out the purchase of any products with persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs), carcinogens, bisphenol A, brominated flame retardants and perfluorinated compounds. At the same time CEC has been pressing for passage of the state Healthy and Sustainable Purchasing Act, which would make this policy state law. This legislation passed the Assembly this session and we hope to see this pass the Senate next year.
- Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals (PBTs)
Persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs) are widespread, contaminating our environment and our bodies. Despite the fact that PBTs do not degrade easily, we continue to pour more of these substances into air, water and land every year. PBTs are also very toxic in very small quantities—they cause cancer, damage organs and our DNA, and disrupt normal body function. A comprehensive health-protective policy is needed on PBT chemicals and other high priority chemicals of concern on the state and national level. We are planning a comprehensive education campaign for the public on PBTs and other priority chemicals with fact sheets and powerpoint presentations.
- Toxic Flame Retardant Ban
Scientists and advocates are increasingly concerned with a set of chemicals previously assumed safe: brominated flame retardants, especially polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) These toxic flame retardants are rapidly accumulating in our environment, and have been increasingly linked to serious health problems; such as delayed onset of puberty in males and females, impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased sperm count, lowered thyroid hormone levels, and thyroid and pancreatic cancers.
Facts about PBDEs:
- The three most common BDEs are penta-, octa- and deca-BDE, referring to the number of bromine molecules they contain: five eight, and ten, respectively.
- PBDEs are found in: televisions, stereos, computers, hair dryers, toasters, and upholstery fabrics.
- The level of PBDEs in people’s bodies is doubling every 2.5 years.
- American women's breast milk and breast tissue contain the highest levels found in people anywhere in the world
- Studies have linked PBDE exposure to disrupted brain development, delayed onset of puberty in males and females, impaired development of reproductive organs, decreased sperm count, lowered thyroid hormone levels, and thyroid and pancreatic cancers.
 Safer Alternatives
Companies have already redesigned products to eliminate the need for brominated chemical additives despite the bromine industry’s claims there are no alternatives to deca-BDE. For example, Apple is replacing the plastic exterior casings on its new laptops with metal to negate the need for flame retardants. Many companies have achieved safer flame retardant features in their products by finding safer chemical substitutes. For example, IBM mandates its suppliers not use PBDEs and NEC plans to phase out all BFR use by 2011.
The bromine industry also claims that deca-BDE is safe, because its molecules are too large to be taken up into the body. However, these flame retardants have a tendency to "debrominate," or shed bromine molecules over time, into the more readily assimilated forms.
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