Health & Medicine
10 American Retailers, including Walmart, Target and Costco, Urged to Remove Potentially Hazardous Materials
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: Apr 10, 2013 10:50 AM EDT
Americans certainly like to think they can head into their favorite mega-store, i.e., Walmart, Target and all the others, to pick up junk food, laundry detergent or scotch tape at just about any hour of the day. Sure, there might be some harmful stuff in there-particularly if we're purchasing processed food-but we already knew what we were getting ourselves into, right?
This Thursday will mark the launch of health and environmental groups throughout the country to prod 10 retailers, including our beloved Walmart, Target and Costco, in the hopes that these fat cats will clear their store shelves of products containing hazardous materials, according to Safer Chemicals Healthy Families.
Advocates belt that these companies have done some "retail regulation" but also argue that more needs to be done on the U.S. government's front. A list of 100-plus chemicals used in hundreds or possibly thousands of products including wrinkle-free clothes, vinyl flooring, shampoos, sofa cushions and food packaging warns consumers of possible health dangers.
"We've seen the power of retailers to change the marketplace," says Andy Igrejas of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a coalition advocating against toxic chemical use. He notes that many stores pre-empted a 2012 federal biphenol-A (BPA) ban by no longer selling baby products containing the hormone-disrupting chemical. "But the bites so far are too small for the scale of the problem," he said, according to USA Today.
His group and nearly four dozen others, including the Breast Cancer Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists, are sending a letter Wednesday to 10 retailers asking them to develop a plan within a year to phase out use of the chemicals. The companies include Kroger, Walgreens, Home Depot, CVS Caremark, Lowe's, Best Buy and Safeway..
As of Tuesday evening, the 10 retailers said they had not seen the campaign's letter. Walmart, Target and Kroger, asked to comment on their prior efforts and the challenges in expanding them, declined interview requests.
"Our companies go to great lengths to help Americans make informed decisions about which products are best for their families," Anne Kolton said of the American Chemistry Council, which represents manufacturers of plastic and other chemicals. She says the group does its own "extensive" chemical testing and provides that information to retailers and suppliers. She says six federal agencies oversee chemical safety via more than a dozen federal laws.
We certainly wish you well, advocates, in your hopes of pushing for a more environmentally save community. But even if all else fails, something's got to kill you, right?
See Now:
NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone
©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
More on SCIENCEwr
First Posted: Apr 10, 2013 10:50 AM EDT
Americans certainly like to think they can head into their favorite mega-store, i.e., Walmart, Target and all the others, to pick up junk food, laundry detergent or scotch tape at just about any hour of the day. Sure, there might be some harmful stuff in there-particularly if we're purchasing processed food-but we already knew what we were getting ourselves into, right?
This Thursday will mark the launch of health and environmental groups throughout the country to prod 10 retailers, including our beloved Walmart, Target and Costco, in the hopes that these fat cats will clear their store shelves of products containing hazardous materials, according to Safer Chemicals Healthy Families.
Advocates belt that these companies have done some "retail regulation" but also argue that more needs to be done on the U.S. government's front. A list of 100-plus chemicals used in hundreds or possibly thousands of products including wrinkle-free clothes, vinyl flooring, shampoos, sofa cushions and food packaging warns consumers of possible health dangers.
"We've seen the power of retailers to change the marketplace," says Andy Igrejas of Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a coalition advocating against toxic chemical use. He notes that many stores pre-empted a 2012 federal biphenol-A (BPA) ban by no longer selling baby products containing the hormone-disrupting chemical. "But the bites so far are too small for the scale of the problem," he said, according to USA Today.
His group and nearly four dozen others, including the Breast Cancer Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists, are sending a letter Wednesday to 10 retailers asking them to develop a plan within a year to phase out use of the chemicals. The companies include Kroger, Walgreens, Home Depot, CVS Caremark, Lowe's, Best Buy and Safeway..
As of Tuesday evening, the 10 retailers said they had not seen the campaign's letter. Walmart, Target and Kroger, asked to comment on their prior efforts and the challenges in expanding them, declined interview requests.
"Our companies go to great lengths to help Americans make informed decisions about which products are best for their families," Anne Kolton said of the American Chemistry Council, which represents manufacturers of plastic and other chemicals. She says the group does its own "extensive" chemical testing and provides that information to retailers and suppliers. She says six federal agencies oversee chemical safety via more than a dozen federal laws.
We certainly wish you well, advocates, in your hopes of pushing for a more environmentally save community. But even if all else fails, something's got to kill you, right?
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone