2/1/10
Top Ten Reasons Your School Should Go PVC-Free!
CHEJ has compiled the top ten reasons PVC is unhealthy for schools across the country in a new fact-sheet. Check it out and pass it on to parents, teachers and students you know!

2/1/10
More PVC-Free Electronics Hit the Market
Tech savvy consumers and schools looking for safer products can breathe a sigh of relief as over the past few weeks, more and more PVC-free electronics have hit market. Apple (with their infamous iPad), HP, and Acer have all unveiled new electronics free of the poison plastic.

2/1/10
New Study: PVC Workers Exposed to High Levels of Phthalates
A new study done by researchers at CDC, NIOSH, and University of Cincinnati found PVC workers are exposed to high levels of phthalates. Workers in the PVC film and compounding sectors had the highest exceedances over the U.S. reference dose for the phthalate DEHP. Interestingly, they also found that DEHP exposure levels for babies in neonatal intensive care units are even higher than PVC workers.

1/29/10
CHEJ’s Hiring in NY!
CHEJ is seeking a part-time campaign organizer for a new New York State campaign to green schools inside and out. Read the job notice.

1/20/10
CHEJ’s Hiring! Childrens Health Campaign Organizer
CHEJ is seeking a campaign organizer for our Childproofing Our Communities Campaign (CPOC) in our Falls Church, VA office. The campaign works to protect children from exposure to environmental health hazards through innovative trainings, programs and organizing assistance. Read the job announcement.

12/16/09
Over the past month, toxic chemicals in PVC’s lifecycle, have made headlines coast to coast:

• A new study by EWG found cleaning products, many of which are used to maintain vinyl flooring in schools, can contaminate the air inside schools with harmful chemicals.
• The American Medical Association came out with a new policy on endocrine disrupting chemicals, which are released by PVC products found in our nation’s schools.
• Robert DeNiro, stars in a new movie where he plays a man “who spent his entire life breathing in toxic fumes at a plant that manufactured PVC coating for telephone wires.”
• PVC fenceline communities breathed a sigh of relief, after they won an agreement from EPA, to finally start regulating air pollution from PVC chemical plants.
• The vinyl chemical industry, backed by Exxon Mobil, has announced yet another “grassroots” (astroturfing) association – the Flexible Vinyl Alliance.
• A new study by EWG found minority babies are born pre-polluted with Dioxins, chemicals released by PVC’s toxic lifecycle.

11/23/09
New PVC-Free Schools Campaign Fact-Sheets
CHEJ is kicking off a brand new PVC-free schools campaign to encourage schools to ditch the poison plastic in favor of safer alternatives. We need your help to make it a success! We’ve created a series of new PVC-free schools fact-sheets to help educate parents, students and decision-makers on the dangers of PVC plastic.
Click here to download the new fact-sheets!

11/2/09
Apple and Best Buy Make Progress in Ditching the Poison Plastic
The huge market shift away from the poison plastic continues. Apple nerds rejoice! This month, Apple announced the first ever PVC-free MacBooks and iMacs, making Apple the first major electronics company to completely eliminate PVC in these electronics. Apple was recently profiled in a report by Clean Production Action for their work phasing out PVC. In related news, Best Buy announced in their latest corporate social responsibility report they’ve made progress in phasing out PVC packaging and has set a goal of eliminating 50% of their PVC packaging by the end of 2010 (see page 38).

10/15/09
CHEJ Praises EPA for Developing Dioxin Cleanup Goals – Expresses Concern About Delays
In response to the EPA’s new plans for addressing Dioxin contamination, one of the biggest manufacturers of PVC in the country. The agreement came about after the EPA discovered “extensive” chemical pollution violations at their PVC plants in Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La during inspections. This is a big victory for community members who have been battling Formosa Plastics for many years, lead by fisherwomen Diane Wilson. Read all about it in the U.S. Department of Justice’s press release.

10/5/09
Good News! U.S. Department of Justice Cracking Down on PVC Chemical Manufacturer
The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a $13 million legal settlement with Formosa Plastics, one of the biggest manufacturers of PVC in the country. The agreement came about after the EPA discovered “extensive” chemical pollution violations at their PVC plants in Point Comfort, Texas, and Baton Rouge, La during inspections. This is a big victory for community members who have been battling Formosa Plastics for many years, lead by fisherwomen Diane Wilson. Read all about it in the U.S. Department of Justice’s press release.