Toxic Chemicals

From before we are born until the time we die, we are repeatedly and regularly exposed to toxic chemicals with the potential to seriously harm our health. Toxic chemicals can be found in our homes, schools and workplaces – in products we use on a daily basis. We're fighting at local, state, and federal levels to fix our chemical laws and find safer alternatives to the chemicals in everyday products.

Toxic paint strippers
California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, National

Tell Lowe's to stop selling dangerous paint strippers

No one should lose a loved one to deadly chemicals. But right now you can walk into Lowe’s and other stores and buy paint strippers containing highly toxic chemicals. Read one family’s story below then sign the petition to Lowe’s.

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Recent Actions

Connecticut

Take action to rid our homes of toxic flame retardants

Contact your legislators today and tell them to pass House Bill 5329, a bill that bans the sale of children’s products and residential upholstered furniture containing toxic flame retardants, this session

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California, Minnesota, National

Tell Albertsons to get toxic chemicals off their shelves

Albertsons is one of the top grocery chains in the US with subsidiaries like Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Acme, Shaw's and Randalls and a total of 2,200 stores across the country. This summer, tell Albertsons it’s time for a Detox!

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Minnesota

Groundwater is the Drinking Water Source for 75% of Minnesotans—Take Action Now to Protect It!

75% of Minnesotans get their drinking water from a groundwater source.

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Minnesota

Protect Minnesota families and firefighters from toxic flame retardants

Rhode Island and Maine recently banned a class of flame retardants called organohalogens and it’s time for Minnesota to do the same! Ask your lawmakers to stand with the health of families and firefighters today.

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Press Releases

April 20, 2018
Clean Water Action Applauds Governor Murphy on Signing of Environmental Justice (EJ) Executive Order

"The time for talking is past," said Kim Gaddy, Environmental Justice Organizer for Clean Water Action. "This environmental justice  (EJ) executive order starts the process and the governor cannot move fast enough to adopt mandatory EJ measures across multiple agencies. We need to significantly reduce the cumulatively be pollution burdens and health impacts on New Jersey is most vulnerable-low income communities and communities of color."

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December 21, 2017
Clean Water Action Applauds McCabe as New NJDEP Commissioner

Clean Water Action is looking forward to having NJ’s next governor put Catherine McCabe in the driver’s seat as the new NJDEP Commissioner. She is a person who has made a career of being a science-based environmentalist.

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Clean Water Action Visits Local Retailers to Discuss Latest Retailer Report Card

"I’m proud to see that many large global retailers are paying attention to this campaign and consumer demands for safer products and applaud those that have received top grades.  There is much more that needs to be done and I am particularly disturbed to see the two top retailers of baby products falling behind.  Hopefully, our visit today and the release of the 2nd Retailer Report Card will urge both Babies R Us and Buy Buy Baby to take serious action.”

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Related Toxic Chemicals Topics

Toxic Chemicals Publications

Toxic Chemicals Blog Posts

Minnesota State Capitol-Drew Geraets
Mid-Session Defense Update
April 24, 2018

We are halfway through the Minnesota 2018 legislative session and it’s been made clear that some of our lawmakers are not willing to put our environment and public health first. They are placing policies that ignore science and weaken protections for our land, air, and water before people.

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First Lady Tammy Murphy to Keynote Clean Water Action's 32nd Annual Conference
April 20, 2018

We're getting so excited for our 32nd Annual Conference, Rise Up, Persist & Win, happening next weekend, Saturday, April 28th, 2018, from 9 am to 5 at The Wardlaw-Hartridge School in Edison, NJ. Don't miss our Keynote Speaker First Lady Tammy Murphy, who also serves as Secretary and charter member of The Climate Reality Action Fund, an organization founded by former Vice-President Al Gore.

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A Toxic Relationship: Hospital Waste and Environmental Health
April 19, 2018

The last thing that I think of after I get a shot is “where does the syringe end up after (hopefully) being properly disposed of in the biohazard bins?” But it’s a question I’ve been harboring recently; does it just disappear or does it end up on the streets? This topic is briefly brushed upon during my Master’s of Public Health (MPH) program, but I wanted to dig into the topic a bit further. The biohazard management in hospitals has advanced in the last 20-30 years so one shouldn’t be too alarmed when reading through this.

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