Chucking California’s recycling rules
February 27, 2025 , 3:00 pm
Breast cancer rates are rising globally, especially among younger people. Although known risk factors including increased age, obesity, alcohol use, and genetics play a role, the World Health Organization estimates that about half of breast cancer cases occur in women with no identifiable risk factors. This has led researchers to turn to hazardous environmental exposures, such as chemicals in food, water, and consumer products, as likely factors.
In a recent study, researchers at the Silent Spring Institute identified more than 900 chemicals that could increase breast cancer risk and found that 414 of these chemicals are used in plastics. Many of these chemicals are commonly found in food packaging, personal care products, and household items, making exposure nearly unavoidable.
The ongoing negotiations for a UN global plastics treaty to address plastic production and waste present a critical opportunity to regulate hazardous chemicals in plastics and reduce exposure around the world. In this CHE-Alaska webinar, study co-authors Dr. Jennifer Kay and Rashmi Shakti will discuss their findings and how the global plastics treaty could help lower breast cancer rates worldwide.
Time:
February 27, 2025
3pm Eastern Time
Related Events
September 17, 2024 , 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm EDT
An overview of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and how to utilize this tool.
A-Z Tackling the Impacts of Plastic and Petrochemicals introduces a new series about Community Right to Know and the hazardous chemicals being used in our communities by oil, gas and associated industries.
The event is hosted by partners from Earthjustice, Between the Waters, People Over Petro, Climate Reality, Halt the Harm and many others.
Participants will delve into the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), an old but still useful federal law designed to try and protect communities from toxic chemicals used by industry.
In This Series
- The second episode will explain some of the tools useful in getting the information you are entitled to.
- The third episode will explore community based solutions to protect ourselves now and in the future.
- The final episode will reflect on the current federal laws and ways to update and reform them based on our current situations.
Related Events
This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed next steps that could ban vinyl chloride, and other key plastic ingredients. The EPA is now suggesting that vinyl chloride and four other chemicals used to make plastics be designated as a “High-Priority Substances” under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Such designation would require the agency to assess the chemicals’ risks—and could lead to bans or restrictions on their manufacturing, processing, distribution, use, or disposal if they are found to present an unreasonable risk to people and the environment.
You may have recently heard about vinyl chloride, as it is the highly flammable and toxic chemical that was carried by train cars that derailed and were burned in East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. Vinyl chloride is mainly used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic for plastic piping, flooring, consumer goods including children’s toys, electrical materials, vehicles, and food packaging.
The other plastic chemicals the EPA has proposed to designate as “High-Priority Substances” are acetaldehyde—used commonly as a plastic additive; acrylonitrile—used to make acrylic carpets, clothing, textiles, and upholstery; benzenamine—used in synthetic rubbers and plastic foams, and 4,4’-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline)—used in polyurethanes and epoxy resins. Exposure to each of the five plastic chemicals proposed for evaluation are linked to or are suspected of causing cancer.
This is not the first time the EPA has had to consider banning or restricting hazardous plastic and industrial chemicals. Other chemicals found to present an unreasonable risk to human and environmental health include ortho-phthalates, a chemical added to PVC to make it soft and flexible, which have been restricted from children’s toys in the U.S., European Union, and other nations. The EPA has also recently banned many uses of methylene chloride and asbestos under TSCA, and proposed a total ban on the toxic chlorinated chemical TCE and most uses of PCE, another chlorinated chemical.
Following the EPA’s announcement, environmental advocacy organizations Beyond Plastics, Earthjustice, and Toxic-Free Future immediately released a report detailing the chemical’s harms and recommendations for the EPA to consider during its evaluation. Key findings from the report show that air releases of vinyl chloride increase cancer risks in frontline communities near manufacturing facilities, vinyl chloride “incidents” (explosions, fires, leaks, and spills) are very common and have been deadly, and that PVC drinking water pipes and consumer products like children’s toys can leach residual vinyl chloride—threatening public health.
We’ve recommended that as part of its regulatory process, EPA officials visit the communities that have been directly impacted by vinyl chloride. They need to talk to residents whose health has been harmed by contaminated water and air pollution. They must also examine how vinyl chloride can leach from PVC pipes into drinking water. It’s time for action to protect public health.
— Jenny Gitlitz, Beyond Plastics’ Director of Solutions to Plastic Pollution and co-author of the report
The EPA will accept public comments supporting the agency’s proposal to designate vinyl chloride, acetaldehyde, acrylonitrile, benzenamine, and 4,4’-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) as “High-Priorty Substances” for 90 days after publication via docket EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0601 at the Regulations.gov page.
Make your voice heard and tell the EPA to list these chemicals. Comments are due October 23, 2024. See sample script below.
And:
SAMPLE COMMENT:
[Date]
EPA-HQ-OPPT-2023-0601
Thank you for the opportunity to provide comments to the EPA on the Proposed “High-Priority Substance” Designations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). I am writing in strong support of the EPA’s designation of acetaldehyde (CASRN 75-07-0), acrylonitrile (CASRN 107-13-1), benzenamine (CASRN 62-53-3), vinyl chloride (CASRN 75-01-4), and 4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) (CASRN 101-14-4) as High-Priority Substances for further risk evaluation.
All of these plastic chemicals, particularly vinyl chloride, have toxic effects on people and the environment during plastic production, use, and disposal. Vinyl chloride in particular has been designated as a Group 1 carcinogen, known to cause cancer in people; airborne exposure of vinyl chloride has also been linked in pregnant people to increased risk of miscarriage and birth defects; and high levels of exposure to vinyl chloride can cause headaches, dizziness, trouble breathing, and even death.
We are seeing the continued toxic effects of vinyl chloride harming people and the environment in and near East Palestine, Ohio, since the 2023 train derailment occurred there. The burning of vinyl chloride released toxic dioxins and other compounds that threaten the health of residents, first responders, and cleanup workers. More than 3 million Americans live within a mile of railroad tracks on which vinyl chloride is currently transported by train, which puts them at risk of experiencing a similar public health and environmental disaster as the one that occurred in East Palestine.
Acetaldehyde is a highly reactive and toxic chemical that causes damage at the cellular and DNA levels, and has been linked to the development of diseases, including cancer. Acrylonitrile is a toxic chemical that is linked to organ damage, as well as cancer in lab animals and is suspected of causing cancer in humans. Benzenamine is toxic, and can cause severe damage to the skin, eyes, and respiratory track, and is suspected of causing cancer. 4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) has been classified as a probable human carcinogen and has been shown to have toxic and cancerous effects on laboratory animals.
Additionally, acetaldehyde (CASRN 75-07-0), acrylonitrile (CASRN 107-13-1), benzenamine (CASRN 62-53-3), vinyl chloride (CASRN 75-01-4), and 4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) (CASRN 101-14-4) threaten communities on the frontlines of chemical facilities producing these chemicals, as well as workers who handle these chemicals inside those facilities.
For these reasons, I am writing in strong support of the EPA’s designation of acetaldehyde (CASRN 75-07-0), acrylonitrile (CASRN 107-13-1), benzenamine (CASRN 62-53-3), vinyl chloride (CASRN 75-01-4), and 4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA) (CASRN 101-14-4) as High-Priority Substances for further risk evaluation.
Thank you,
[Name]
