A Safe and Healthy Connecticut

Clean Water campaigns statewide and locally to reduce and eliminate toxic chemical exposures in our everyday lives - in buildings, schools, and workplaces, air, water and food, and in consumer products.

Chemicals being mixed in beakers. Photo credit: mediaphotos / Shutterstock

New England Currents -- June 2019

In this issue

PDF icon New England Currents -- June 2019.pdf
Baby with a toy in her mouth. Photo: Sze Fei Wong / iStock

What is the Coalition for a Safe and Healthy Connecticut?

Connecticut residents want to protect ourselves and those we love, preventing harm especially to babies and young children.

Toxic Chemicals

New study indicates toxic chemicals used in take-out food packaging from popular food chains

Testing suggests toxic PFAS chemicals in packaging from McDonald’s “Big Mac” and Burger King’s “Whopper”

Toxic Chemicals

Keep Playgrounds Free of Toxic Recycled Tire Mulch

We can't throw tires away in landfills because of all the toxic chemicals they contain so why is it okay to grind them up, call it recycled rubber mulch and use them on children's playgrounds?  Recycled tire rubber contains numerous toxic chemicals including styrene, a chemical that is neurotoxic and a likely human carcinogen, butadiene-a proven human carcinogen linked to leukemia and lymphoma and lead and cadmium which are also neurotoxic.  

From We All Live Downstream

national_pfas.png
Big win! State procurement agency restricts harmful chemicals in food packaging.
Connecticut
January 21, 2020

Our work with Connecticut’s procurement agency is paying off. Connecticut will now restrict the purchasing of many food service ware and food packaging items that contain toxic per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS chemicals) and significantly reduce styrene (Styrofoam) and plastics. 

Read more
PFAS Rhode Island
Big Wins to Stop "Forever Chemicals"
Connecticut
November 14, 2019

We’re celebrating some big wins with our Mind the Store campaign work this fall! This campaign focuses on targeting major retailers and urging them to work with their suppliers to shift away from toxic chemicals in products, including the “forever chemicals” known as PFAS or per and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Recent highlights include: 

September 17, 2019: Home Depot announces it will no longer sell carpets or textiles containing PFAS chemicals.

Read more
Farmington River. Credit Jon-Lewis, Flickr--Creative Commons
Update: PFAS in Connecticut
Connecticut
August 20, 2019

It’s unfortunate that it took a tragic spill of nearly 40,000 gallons of firefighting foam into the Farmington River for PFAS contamination to finally get some attention in Connecticut. And we’re finally getting some action -- U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal is leading efforts in Washington to assure that firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals is no longer required by the Department of Defense (DOD). We thank the Senator for his efforts and are proud to join with him to urge strong federal action. 

Read more
See More From the Blog