Toxics – NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)

Reduce exposure to PFAS, AKA “forever chemicals”

Given the scale of PFAS contamination in our environment—these toxic chemicals are found in everything from drinking water and food packaging to clothing and firefighting foam—we are tackling the problem through a multipronged approach. In addition to foundational work advocating for policy change that eliminates nonessential uses of PFAS, we’re also raising consumer awareness and pressuring manufacturers to stop using them, for example, through our PFAS scorecard that exposes their use in popular clothing brands. We’re calling on the federal government to regulate facilities that send PFAS into the environment; to accelerate the monitoring and cleanup of contaminated drinking water, waterways, and soils; and to prohibit new PFAS from entering the market.

Halt the plastic industry’s growth

Our plastic addiction creates more than a litter problem: The refineries and “cracker plants” that turn crude oil into the building blocks of plastic make up some of the most polluting industries in the manufacturing sector and have significant greenhouse gas impacts. Plastic production both uses toxic chemicals and adds toxic chemicals—like PFAS and flame retardants—to plastic products, threatening the health of nearby communities and consumers. Marginalized communities already overburdened by environmental injustice, where these facilities are often located, are particularly at risk. Microplastics themselves can harm health. We are fighting to curb plastic production and protect people and communities. We’re also working to slow the industry’s further expansion, exposing its greenwashing schemes like so-called “chemical recycling” (actually just incineration in different guises), which generates an enormous amount of hazardous waste as well as air pollution that must continue to be regulated under the Clean Air Act.

Rigorously evaluate and regulate health-harming chemicals

We use the legal process to pressure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and state governments to act on the latest science and take the lead on restricting dangerous chemicals, as well as notifying the public of harmful chemical ingredients and exposures. Our advocates are urging the EPA to effectively implement the revised Toxic Substances Control Act by assessing chemicals and restricting the uses of harmful chemicals, especially to protect vulnerable populations, including pregnant women, children, and fenceline communities.