Alumni Action Alert: Can we stand up to ban forever chemicals?
Many alumni asked us over the years for more opportunities to get engaged in important issues. Now we send an Alumni Action Alert each month on a particular issue or campaign The Public Interest Network is working on, along with some actions that you can take to help protect the environment, public health or the public interest.
Quick action: Sign PIRG’s petition calling on U.S. senators to ban PFAS in food packaging.
Problem: Some chemicals that are found in everyday household items can pose a threat to our health, especially when they leach out of those items and contaminate our waterways or food. One common class of chemicals, called PFAS, is used in a variety of products including outdoor clothing, rugs, food packaging and non-stick pans to make these products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. The problem is that PFAS exposure has been linked to a variety of severe health problems, including immune suppression and even cancer.
Worse still, they're so persistent in our bodies and in the environment that they've been given the nickname "forever chemicals." The more they're used, the more they build up and the bigger the threat they pose to our health.
Solution: PIRG is working alongside allies, including many alumni, to protect the health of all Americans by passing laws and winning corporate commitments to reduce the use and disposal of PFAS — because it's not worth risking our health just for a waterproof rain jacket or grease-resistant food wrapper.
The first step is to eliminate the source of the contamination, which means eliminating PFAS from products and making sure they're disposed of properly. In 2022, we shouldn't have to put our health in jeopardy just to keep our hands from getting greasy.
In early 2021, PIRG’s work helped convince McDonald's to phase out PFAS-treated food packaging globally at its restaurants by 2025. Not long after, Burger King’s parent company signaled its intention to follow suit. On the legislative level, there is unprecedented momentum for both banning and cleaning up these toxic "forever chemicals" across the country. California, Connecticut, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Washington and Maryland have banned paper-based food packaging with PFAS. PIRG is also urging the U.S. Senate to follow the House's lead and pass the federal PFAS Action Act, which would limit PFAS discharged to waterways and place a moratorium on new PFAS chemicals.
The next step will be to hold the companies who have made PFAS phase-out commitments accountable to those promises and to continue urging state governments as well as Congress to protect public health by passing legislation that will stop the flow of these toxic forever chemicals into our air, land, water and ultimately our own bodies.
Actions:
Photo credit: Pixel-Shot via Shutterstock
