Food / Product Safety

CFC supports AB 127 (Skinner), which would reduce the use of flame retardant chemicals in building insulation while maintaining building fire safety and encouraging healthy building practices.

California regulators held a public hearing on March 26 to mark the end of a comment period for updating their 38-year old furniture flammability regulation, TB 117, that has been the focus of scientists, firefighters, health advocates and consumers worldwide.

The regulations were sought by CFC and other groups to protect consumers from physical and financial harm caused by defective or inferior aftermarket parts and to enhance insurer accountability in the claims process.

After five years of resistance from chemical manufacturers, we scored a breakthrough in the fight to remove toxics from furniture sold in California.

We applaud Governor Brown's call for state regulators to revise an antiquated furniture fire safety standard that has exposed millions to dangerous levels of toxic flame retardant chemicals.

Californians are exposed to dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in our homes, thanks to a 37-year-old state furniture regulation. While the regulation never served its intended goal of reducing fires in our homes, its legacy of toxic harm lives on.

Because private data providers are not subject to regulation like the NMVTIS is, this bill opens the door for inaccurate information to be provided to consumers with impunity. SB 990 will be categorically unsafe for consumers.

High-polluting vehicles emit more than 50 percent of the vehicle pollution, being a significant contributor to the smog that exists in our cities. SB 901 (Steinberg) will help reduce smog, stimulate auto sales, and provide critical assistance to consumers.

Consumers deserve access to food that will nourish their bodies as it is intended to do. AB 727 (Mitchell) will ensure that vending machines in state-owned or leased buildings provide food that is nutritionally adequate nutrition by 2014 and in all vending machines in the state by 2016.

Halogenated fire retardants have been linked to endocrine disruption, neurological and developmental impairments, cancer, reduced IQ, learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, infertility, and a host of other health disorders.

AB 1512 would prohibit a retailer from selling infant formula or baby food after the printed "use by" date that is required under federal law. This bill also prohibits retailers from selling over the counter drugs after the printed expiration date that is required under federal law.

California is the only state in the nation that maintains a standard (TB 117) requiring the use of fire retardant chemicals in the polyurethane foam contained in juvenile products. Read CFC's three fact sheets on why this law should be changed.

CFC was an outspoken proponent of SB 1420...The new law is much more than just an effort to reduce obesity and heart disease – it’s about giving consumers the right to know what they’re putting in their bodies.

One recent study found that the dust in California homes had 4 to 10 times higher levels of PDBEs than other states, and 200 times higher level compared to homes in the European Union.

Three important consumer protection laws – which CFC vigorously supported - went into effect on January 1, 2009, and new bills to protect the health of consumers are being prepared for the upcoming legislative year.

Some progress has been made, but there are a woefully inadequate number of locations to allow for easy and convenient TV recycling for most consumers.

San Francisco Democratic Assemblyman Mark Leno's AB 706, a bill that sought to remove toxic fire retardants from California furniture and maintain fire safety, was just voted down by the state Senate. Manufacturers of fire retardants -- Chemtura Corp., Albemarle Corp. and Israel Chemicals Ltd. -- spent millions on lobbying to stop it.

The Consumer Federation of California strongly supported SB 1313 (Corbett) because it would ban perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoroctanoic acid (PFOA) in food packaging...

Food packaging with certain grease-proof coatings contains compounds that break down into toxic chemicals...SB 1313 prohibits the use of food packaging materials that contain these toxic chemicals and new toxic alternatives that could replace them.

Just as in other campaigns to promote and defend its bottom line, industry has developed a strategy relying on a front group called "Citizens for Fire Safety" (CFFS) to campaign against SB 772 and California’s effort to regulate PBDE flame retardants.

A recent report by the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission couldn’t find a single incident of death caused by children’s furniture that burned, and no evidence exists that in the 30 years since this law’s adoption that any measurable benefit in terms of actual fire protection.

Halogenated fire retardants have been linked to endocrine disruption, neurological and developmental impairments, cancer, birth defects, learning disabilities such as attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity, and a host of other health disorders.

Studies show that exposure to even the lowest concentrations of certain fire retardants can cause reproductive, developmental, neurological or other health problems including cancer, thyroid disruption, hearing deficits, and birth defects.

The inadequacy of the EIR is both baffling and frustrating. The Coalition has submitted extensive comments detailing the impacts and evidence that require further evaluation. CFC identified relevant studies and reports that had not been evaluated and additional data or research needed from industry in order to adequately evaluate their product.

Several U.S. grocery chains have agreed not to sell a genetically engineered salmon that is nearing approval from the FDA.

Policymakers, industry leaders and consumer advocates are battling over which chemicals should be allowed as they seek a balance between fire-safe products and a toxic-free environment.

Buying a used car can be a great money saver, but in a hidden-camera investigation, Jeff Rossen with NBC discovered some dealers are selling cars that may have dangerous safety flaws.

Consumers will see little, if any, savings. But there will be less of one unnecessary and likely toxic chemical in the environment. That will be a welcome step forward.

FDA's analysis fails to consider the risks these fish could pose to our natural environment, said an Earthjustice attorney. If they mix with wild salmon, the ecological harm could be devastating.

An Oakland watchdog group said it is suing manufacturers and retailers, including Target and Amazon.com, for selling nap mats made with a toxic flame retardant that is a known carcinogen.

California minors are already banned from using their smartphones behind the wheel, even with a hands-free device. New legislation would expand those rules to include their use of new technology while driving.

The new draft is to improve fire safety while reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Smoldering objects, rather than open flames, are the biggest source of household fires.

New regulations to remove toxic chemicals from furniture have been released - let's show regulators and Gov Brown that Californians support a modern, scientific standard that puts health first!

California proposed regulations on Friday that would set new flammability standards and allow furniture and some children's product manufacturers to stop using chemical flame retardants.

Richard Holober: "...We are pleased Gov Brown has taken the important step forward to transform an obsolete regulation which follows the advice of safety experts, not chemical manufacturers."

The new draft is in response to a directive issued by Brown to improve fire safety while reducing exposure to toxic chemicals. Smoldering objects such as cigarettes, heaters, and extension cords, rather than open flames, are the biggest source of household fires.

Couches throughout the nation have become notorious for containing flame-retardant chemicals that may do more harm than good. Now, it turns out, those chemicals may also be leaching from the walls that surround you.

Window stickers on used cars specify warranty terms and inform consumers of their rights. Those stickers are about to change and consumer advocates say the new ones take a step backward.

California has led the nation on many environmental issues. In this instance, the state led the nation into a dark hole, and filled it with substances linked to maladies such as cancer and neurological dysfunction.

A new scientific examination by the non-profit food fraud detectives, the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, discovered rising numbers of fake ingredients in products from olive oil to spices to fruit juice.

Consumer Federation of America offers tips to consumers to have a food-safe holiday season this year.

About two months after the environmental agency ordered the retailer to cease selling unregistered pesticide products, many of those products remain on the shelves and the company website.

A local watchdog group is suing Walmart, Babies R Us, Target and other major national retailers for selling foam-filled baby and child care products with high levels of a known carcinogen.

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to reduce toxic flame retardant chemicals permitted in furniture, but experts say damage has been done nationwide.

Major manufacturers of flame retardants officially cut ties with an industry-funded front group that waged a deceptive campaign to fuel demand for the chemicals in household furniture, electronics, baby products and other goods.

Retired fire Capt. Tony Stefani, who contracted a rare form of pelvic cancer, told a Senate committee that there is evidence that flame retardants and other chemicals used in household products expose firefighters to a "toxic soup" after they extinguish fires.

California can set the tone for a new furniture fire-safety standard to replace the decades-old requirement that had led to the use of toxic flame retardants in couches, chairs and baby product sold throughout North America.

For years, the chemical industry has fought to stop statewide bans on certain toxic chemicals, arguing that such decisions are best left to federal authorities, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Consumer Federation of California argues that Citizens for Fire Safety, funded by three makers of fire retardant chemicals - Albemarle, ICL Industrial Products and Chemtura - violated a state law prohibiting lobbyists from deceiving lawmakers.

Senator Barbara Boxer wants to make it mandatory for car rental companies to respond to all recalls.

The Consumer Federation of California is calling on regulators to investigate a chemical industry front group for possible violations of California law when it paid an expert witness who provided false testimony to legislators.

School accuses David Heimbach of violations after Tribune series debunking his claims.

After years of failed attempts to regulate flame-retardant chemicals linked to mounting evidence of harm, state legislators and consumer advocates are gearing up to take another look at the risks and benefits.

Legislation carried by Sen. Juan Vargas that seeks to alter a complex law governing vehicle history reports stalled in a Senate committee Tuesday after more than half of the members did not vote.

California's Department of Consumer Affairs says it's looking at changing controversial fire retardant rules. State Sen. Mark Leno has been trying for years to undo the regulation.

...a document signed by more than 200 scientists from 30 countries disputes that flame retardants have been proven effective. "Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants can increase fire toxicity, but their overall benefit in improving fire safety has not been proven."

Eureka! The California legislature will this spring consider a bill to modernize the 12-second rule, the state's obscure furniture flammability standard that fails to protect us from fires even while it poisons homes across North America.

Pacific Gas & Electric continued to insist Tuesday that ratepayers pick up the bulk of the tab for upgrading its aging gas pipelines, though it did make a small concession by agreeing to pay for tests on some of its pipelines.

...tests by the furniture industry and then vetted by the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission show California's present regulation does not prevent small flames from igniting furniture.

Most flame retardants, at least the halogenated compounds used in mass-produced foam furnishings, are toxic chemicals: they harm living things, including people. The Environmental Protection Agency has listed various flame retardants as likely carcinogens.

Pesticide use in California rose in 2010 after declining for four consecutive years...The data released by the Department of Pesticide Regulation shows an increase of nearly 10 percent in pounds of pesticide used from 2009 to 2010.

Facing growing concerns over the health risks of flame retardants in household products, the chemical industry spent at least $23.2 million over the past five years to lobby California officials and donate to campaigns in a successful effort to defeat legislation.

While federal authorities are calling the spike in prescription painkiller deaths an epidemic, California is dismantling a system that the White House identifies as a promising method to tackle the problem.

The new rules create a list of 3,000 toxic chemicals found in consumer items as diverse as personal care products, children's toys, automobiles and even computers.

Thousands of ingredients that go into food have been classified as safe by private industry alone, without any government oversight, according to a new report published Wednesday.

A new study in this week's Pediatrics medical journal suggests that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical found in many products...is linked to behavioral and emotional problems in 3-year-old children.

In a victory for environmentalists, a flame retardant common in furniture and baby products was officially listed yesterday by the state as a cancer-causing chemical.

A new study suggests that early exposure to a chemical found in hard, clear plastics and the linings of cans may cause changes in breast tissue, predisposing laboratory animals to breast cancer.

The scientific evidence of the risk of bisphenol A (BPA) continues to mount. Gov. Jerry Brown should sign AB 1319, making California the 11th state to ban the substance from baby bottles and children's sippy cups.

Brown should sign SB1319 to limit infants' BPA exposure, as 11 states have done in recent years, while lobbyists for the chemical and canning industries have been deflecting California BPA bills in each of the three previous years.

Assemblyman Richard Pan of Sacramento says the expiration date is something that is super important to check as well. He's also a pediatrician calling for banning the sale of all expired baby food in California supermarkets.

A bill sitting on the governor's desk would ban BPA in sippy cups and baby bottles manufactured or sold in California. AB1319 was authored by Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, D-Los Angeles. Similar legislation has failed in previous years.

BPA is a common industrial chemical that has been linked to an array of hormonal and behavioral problems - including early puberty, hyperactivity, breast and prostate cancer, infertility and obesity.

Assembly Bill 1319, by Democratic Assemblywoman Betsy Butler, would prohibit the manufacturing, sale or distribution of bottles and other children's cups that are found to contain certain levels of bisphenol A.

Pregnant California women have registered some of the highest levels of the toxic flame retardant PBDE in their bodies ever recorded worldwide, according to a new study released by researchers at UC San Francisco on Wednesday.

Researchers at UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley have found possible links between high levels of certain fire retardants and fertility issues and conditions such as hypothyroidism.

Restaurant chains are working to lower the calorie counts on menu items because of national rules expected by year-end that will require any restaurant chain with 20 or more locations to post calorie information.

Scientists themselves aren't sure of the risk. So they're doing what the best of them do under the circumstances: calling attention to what they do know, and telling cellphone users to use their own judgment from the available science...

While you might assume car rental companies make sure every car under a recall is fixed before it's rented, some consumer groups say that's not the case. They're now pushing to change California law to prohibit those companies from renting or selling any vehicles that are subject to a federal safety recall.

SB932, by Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco...would require in-store displays and manufacturers' websites to advise customers that the units emit radiation, and to consult their user manuals for tips on how to reduce exposure.

The report is "rife with scientific errors and misrepresentations, and it ignores or dismisses some of the best science available to date on BPA's effects," said Pete Myers, CEO and chief scientist of Environmental Health Science, a nonprofit environmental group based in Charlottesville, Va.

A study released Friday by UC Berkeley and other researchers found that California children have seven times more flame-retardant chemicals in their blood than their foreign-born counterparts, once again raising concern about an obscure state law.

SB 147 will make it possible for me to protect my family from toxic and untested flame retardant chemicals, and will also give me the chance to educate my patients about safer alternatives and prevention.

A new study systematically dismantles the industry's claim that the research and development cost of bringing a new drug to market is $1.3 billion.

In poll, 1 in 5 California residents said there were times last year when they couldn't afford enough food. The state ranks No. 16 for food hardship, with the Fresno and Inland Empire areas particularly hard-hit.

Methyl iodide is meant to replace the ozone-depleting methyl bromide as a fumigant designed to eradicate bacteria, weeds and insects from growing soils. It was approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2007 over the protests of more than two dozen California legislators and 54 scientists, including six Nobel laureates.

Citizens for Fire Safety, a nonprofit with ties to the chemical manufacturing industry, has fought - and won - numerous battles to keep an obscure California-only regulation in place that mandates the use of flame-retardant chemicals in upholstered furniture.

Calories and other nutrition information have been available in some form - in brochures, posters or online - at many restaurants for some time. But until Jan. 1 this year, none in California had been required to display calorie counts alongside menu offerings.

Multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in items such as nonstick cookware, furniture, processed foods and beauty products, were found in the blood and urine of pregnant U.S. women, according to a UCSF study being released today.

Earthjustice and California Rural Legal Assistance filed the suit on behalf of labor and environmental groups, including United Farm Workers. The suit claims, among other things, that the DPR approved methyl iodide Dec. 20 in violation of state laws that protect groundwater against pesticide pollution. Methyl iodide is on the state’s list of cancer-causing agents, according to the suit.

The state Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment submitted a draft proposal last week to limit the amount of hexavalent chromium in to 0.02 parts per billion. If the proposal is adopted, California would become the first state to regulate the notorious cancer-causing chemical in drinking water.

Researchers at UC San Francisco analyzed the blood of 26 infertile women and their eggs...The team found that those women with the most bisphenol-A (or BPA) in their blood had the least viable eggs, and vice versa. Indeed, as the blood levels of BPA in the women doubled, the percentage of eggs that fertilized normally declined by 50 percent.

Lobbying by the chemical industry has fought off a well-deserved ban on bisphenol A, a synthetic estrogen linked to cancer, obesity and other health issues , and used in food and beverage containers.

...Californians have the highest recorded levels of these chemicals in their bodies in the world. Studies suggest the chemicals may be linked to thyroid problems, permanent learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes, hearing loss, delayed puberty onset, decreased sperm count, birth defects and cancer.

Environmentalists are accusing the Schwarzenegger administration of gutting a landmark California law designed to reduce the number of harmful chemicals in consumer products.

The Senate legislation demands that: The government create a system to make it easier to track and locate contaminated foods. The FDA has had great difficulty determining the source of recent salmonella outbreaks. All foreign food suppliers comply with the new guidelines and be subjected to increased inspections.

Giving new life to a defeated bid to ban plastic grocery store bags, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urged lawmakers Monday to reconsider the measure. The bill faced fierce opposition from chemical-company interests and died in the Senate this year.

High levels of lead were discovered in a handful of children's products and adult jewelry items found at major retail stores in California, according to a news release from the Center for Environmental Health.

Northern borders of the plume have crept about 1,800 feet beyond a containment boundary set by PG&E in 2008, and tests have shown elevated levels of hexavalent chromium in domestic and agricultural water supplies.

In the major food safety legislation that the Senate is debating, which will likely pass today or tomorrow, one important provision will probably be missing: a ban on bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles or sippy cups.

As the state grapples with the aftermath of Proposition 26, one of the state's most important regulatory bodies - the California Coastal Commission - may find its powers crippled by the initiative's provisions barring simple-majority votes for new fees.

A plume of chromium-tainted groundwater is once again bearing down on residents of Hinkley, Calif., where more than a decade ago an underdog battle with Pacific Gas & Electric Co. spawned a multimillion-dollar settlement and the Oscar-winning film "Erin Brockovich."

Both Hilex and the council joined forces in a furious effort to defeat a bill that would have made California the first state to ban plastic grocery carry-out bags. The chemistry council spent more than $942,000 on lobbying during this same period...

Senate Bill 797, a proposal to ban BPA - bisphenol A - in baby bottles and sippy cups that was supported by labor and environmental groups but opposed by the American Chemistry Council and a coalition of business groups. The bill died by two votes in the Senate.

Five out of nine members of a scientific panel that advises the state on toxic chemicals have been fired in recent weeks, following disputes with the chemical industry and a conservative group that targets environmental laws.

What will it take to protect the nation's food supply? Apparently the recall of a half billion eggs and 1,500-and-counting cases of salmonella. Add in the scofflaw conduct of a major egg producer and a slow moving federal bureaucracy. The sum total may finally spur action.

In an effort to tackle national obesity, the FDA's draft guidelines require any businesses with more than 20 locations to post the calorie information in the same size type as the menu item or price.

...the Schwarzenegger administration opposed three bills that would have banned potentially-dangerous chemicals. In each case, the administration recommended that any chemical bans "be postponed until the Secretary of the Environmental Protection has developed a comprehensive set of recommendations pursuant to the Cal/EPA Green Chemistry Initiative."

...BPA [1], a toxic chemical found in many of the products we use every day, may still be a big part of your life. That's because massive amounts of BPA are found on many store receipts. And according to a recent study [2], BPA easily makes the transfer from receipt to skin, where it penetrates at such a deep level that it can't be washed off.

...more recent studies have generated enough legitimate concerns for California to reconsider. The Legislature and Congress have enough new information to support proposed bans of its use in products for children younger than 3 years old.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's insistence that a sweeping food safety bill include a ban on bisphenol A, a chemical widely used to line food cans, threatens a top White House priority. The California Democrat contends that any legislation aimed at protecting food safety should include limits on the compound, known as BPA.

BPA has been linked with health problems such as infertility, autism, asthma, hyperactivity and breast cancer. In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed its long-held position that BPA posed no concern, calling for more studies of the artificial hormone that often is used in shatter-proof plastic baby bottles, sippy cups and linings of cans, including those containing baby formula.

Torrico and the other dozen nonvoters will have one last chance to redeem themselves when SB797 comes up for reconsideration today. For several years, the bulk of the independent evidence has suggested that these products pose a risk to young children - and the scientific case keeps growing stronger with each year.

Builders favor the inexpensive, light-weight plastic material for its ease of installation, but foes - including construction unions and environmentalists - believe at least one version of the plastic pipe leaches chemicals and poses a health threat.

The efforts center around Senate Bill 797, a law that died in the Assembly last year but is expected to come up for a vote next week. It would ban the chemical Bisphenol A, known as "BPA," from baby bottles, sippy cups and the linings of liquid and powder baby formula containers.

...consumers should know...that those emissions from various cell-phone models can range from 0.2 watts to the limit of 1.6 watts per kilogram. Consumers also should know that the FCC recommends that cell-phone users limit their exposure to these emissions by using hands-free devices.

Tesla Motors Inc., bolstered by a $50-million investment from Toyota Motor Corp., will start making electric cars next year at a recently closed plant in Northern California.

Drug makers, physicians, hospitals, tobacco companies and a major HMO spent hundreds of millions dollars to influence government during the past decade. Their spending accounted for more than a fifth of the $1.33 billion spent during the period.

Boxer, a Democrat who is running for re-election this year, characterized the proposed labeling changes as a consumer-protection measure. Consumers end up paying more for chicken that weighs more because it's been injected with salty water.

Bisphenol A is a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to cancer, sexual dysfunction and heart disease. Canada classifies it as a toxin. But in the United States, it is in such widespread use that more than 90 percent of us have traces of it in our bodies.

Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret...their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision.

In 2008, psychiatric drug makers had overall sales in the US of $14.6 billion from antipsychotics, $9.6 billion off antidepressants, $11.3 billion from antiseizure drugs and $4.8 billion in sales of ADHD drugs, for a grand total of $40.3 billion.

Chemicals from cosmetics, perfumes and other fragrances were detected along with dozens of other industrial compounds in the umbilical cords of African American, Asian and Latino infants in the United States, according to a national study released Wednesday.

Some say California may still pave the way in new areas of food safety concern, such as curbing the sale of meat and poultry raised on growth-promoting antibiotics, and labeling meat from cloned animals. However, attempts to pass such legislation have thus far failed.