Toxic threats
It’s up to us to protect our ecosystems and communities from toxic chemicals.
Most of the 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States have been put into use without testing long-term consequences for the environment, or their impacts on our health. We should make sure that any chemical in use is safe, eliminate those we know are dangerous, and stop using any that are damaging healthy ecosystems. And if an industry makes a toxic mess, we should know right away, and they should be the ones to pay for cleaning it up.
The Latest on Toxic threats
Statement: EPA tells power plants to clean up their act
Statement: New rule will aid PFAS clean-ups
Updates
Two more states take action to limit lead in schools’ drinking water
What You Can Do
Featured Resources
Superfund Back on Track
The Threat of “Forever Chemicals”
Who are the top toxic water polluters in your state?
“Chemical recycling”: What you need to know.
The Latest
Groups issue new toolkit on lead in school’s drinking water
With the bipartisan infrastructure bill now signed into law, Environment America Research & Policy Center (Environment America's research partner) and U.S. PIRG Education Fund (PIRG's research partner) released a new toolkit for parents and community leaders on Tuesday on how to get the lead out of schools’ drinking water. The infrastructure bill includes $200 million for schools to conduct lead reduction efforts.
EPA’s PFAS plan would limit toxic chemicals, but falls short of phase out
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a new plan on Monday to deal with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances that are linked to serious health risks, including liver damage, birth defects and cancer.
Thousands urge EPA to protect waterways from pollution
Nearly 30,000 people are urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to end the dumping of PFAS chemicals, and thousands more are telling the agency to dramatically reduce pollution from slaughterhouses. Environment America Research & Policy Center and U.S. PIRG Education Fund submitted comments from these individuals to the EPA Thursday as the agency considers updating pollution control standards, which is required by the Clean Water Act. The groups are also calling on the EPA to strengthen standards for other industrial sources -- including power plants and refineries.
Over 2 Million Pounds of Toxic Chemicals Dumped into Missouri’s Waterways
Industrial facilities dumped 2,176,285 pounds of toxic chemicals into Missouri’s waterways in 2012, according to a new report by Environment Missouri Research and Policy Center. The “Wasting Our Waterways” report comes as the Environmental Protection Agency considers a new rule to restore Clean Water Act protections to thousands of waterways in Missouri and across the nation. “Missouri’s waterways should be clean – for swimming, drinking, and supporting wildlife,” said Jane Ramsay, with Environment Missouri. “But too often, our waters have become a dumping ground for polluters. The first step to curb this tide of toxic pollution is to restore Clean Water Act protections to all our waterways.” The Environment Missouri Research and Policy Center’s report on toxic pollutants discharged to America’s waters is based on data reported by polluting facilities to the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory for 2012, the most recent data available.