Have you ever thought about what is in your cosmetics, sweet-smelling bath products or that lipstick your toddler loves to wear (and undoubtedly eat!)?

Believe it or not, as much as 70 percent of what we put on our skin ends up inside our bodies.^* And yet many popular cosmetic, fragrance, and beauty products contain toxic ingredients like mercury, lead, or phthalates, which have been linked to reproductive and developmental issues.

The New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers adopted a Climate Change Action Plan in August of 2001. The plan combats global warming by committing to near-term reductions of human-made greenhouse gas emissions over the course of the next two decades, as well as long-term reductions to 75-85% below current levels at some point.

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that has contaminated the fish that we eat, resulting in a statewide freshwater fish advisory (pdf) in New Hampshire since 1994, warning pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and children under 7 to limit their fish consumption. Our Zero Mercury Campaign was launched in 2000 to pressure the New England Governors to virtually eliminate the use of, release of, and exposure to mercury in New Hampshire and the region by the year 2010.

The campaign goals are to: