Overview

All Americans deserve to live in a healthy and toxic-free environment. Unfortunately, polluters continue to pump billions of pounds of toxic chemicals into our air, land, and water each year, many of which can cause cancer and other severe health effects. In addition to pollution, manufacturers are now using many of these toxic chemicals in a wide range of consumer products from laptops to mattresses. As a result, many toxic chemicals are showing up in unlikely places such as household dust and even human breast milk. Finally, chemical facilities that use or store dangerous amounts of highly hazardous chemicals place literally millions of Americans at risk in the event of an accidental or deliberate release. To address these toxic threats, we need bold policies that replace toxic chemicals with safer alternatives, compel polluters to pay for cleaning up past pollution, and require companies to tell us whenever they are storing or releasing toxic chemicals or putting them in the products we purchase.

Needless to say, the chemical industry’s opposition to such measures has been formidable. While states are starting to take action on toxic chemicals, the industry has used its powerful lobby to block efforts at national reform.

To counter these powerful interests, U.S. PIRG has launched a Toxic-Free Communities campaign this summer. In more than 17 states, our advocates and organizers are making the case for the key policies our nation will need to protect public health and the environment from toxic chemicals.

Move from Toxics to Safer Alternatives: Even though safer alternatives to many toxic chemicals already exist, chemical companies continue to manufacture and use dangerous ones, threatening nearby communities. We’re advocating replacing toxic chemicals with safer alternatives.

Stand Up For Our Right To Know: To prevent toxic exposure, we need to know what chemicals are out there and how dangerous they are. Right-to-know rules inform communities about toxic chemicals in our neighborhoods.

Make Polluters Pay: Polluters create thousands of toxic waste sites nationwide, but American taxpayers are increasingly getting stuck with the cleanup bill. Polluters have the responsibility to pay to clean up toxic waste.