Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Watchdog Series “Chemical Fallout”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Watchdog Series “Chemical Fallout”

This is an outstanding series. Here are some of the latest articles in the series. The link below will direct you to the series

Chemical Fallout

Warning: Dangerous chemicals are common in every day products, including food containers. And government has been slow to protect consumers from those dangers. Indeed, in the case of Bisphenol A, federal government regulators long sided with the chemical industry in declaring BPA safe – despite independent studies that repeatedly documented danger to children and adults. The government about-face in January of 2010 came only after years of investigations by the Journal Sentinel. Read original series: Part 1 | 2

Impact
The following stories highlight action taken as a result of the Journal Sentinel’s investigation.

FDA does about-face on exposure to BPA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday reversed its position on bisphenol A, saying it was concerned about the chemical’s effects on fetuses, infants and children. However, the agency stopped short of a ban, saying more studies are needed. »Read Full Article

REACTION: Most welcome FDA’s decision
TIMELINE: FDA reverses ruling after evidence, pressure mounted

More Headlines
Doyle signs bill limiting BPA use (20)
Assembly backs limits on BPA in baby bottles (26)
Regulator waffles on bisphenol A (24)
EPA official says agency will act soon on BPA
It’s best to avoid BPA, federal official says

Featured Investigations

BPA industry fights back with public relations blitz
The chemical industry is under attack over bisphenol A, a key ingredient in hard, clear plastic products. Now, the industry is pushing back with an unprecedented public relations blitz.

FDA relied heavily on BPA lobby
As federal regulators hold fast to their claim that a chemical in baby bottles is safe, e-mails obtained by the Journal Sentinel show that they relied on chemical industry lobbyists to examine bisphenol A’s risks, track legislation to ban it and even monitor press coverage.

Use of plastic bottles increases BPA in study

EPA veils hazardous substances
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency routinely allows companies to keep new information about their chemicals secret, including compounds that have been shown to cause cancer and respiratory problems, the Journal Sentinel has found.

BPA leaches from ‘microwave safe’ products
Products marketed for infants or billed as “microwave safe” release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated, an analysis by the Journal Sentinel has found.

Plastics industry behind FDA research, study finds
A government report claiming that bisphenol A is safe was written largely by the plastics industry and others with a financial stake in the controversial chemical, the Journal Sentinel found.

Donation raises questions for head of FDA’s bisphenol A panel
A retired medical supply manufacturer who considers bisphenol A to be “perfectly safe” gave $5 million to the research center of Martin Philbert, chairman of the Food and Drug Administration panel about to make a pivotal ruling on the chemical’s safety.

EPA fails to collect chemical safety data
A few blocks from St. Josaphat Basilica on Milwaukee’s near south side, a company called Milport Enterprises makes more than a million pounds a year of a chemical that no one knows much about, not even the company executives. This is despite a decade of promises by the federal government to provide safety information about just such chemicals.

Hazardous flame retardant found in household objects
A flame retardant that was taken out of children’s pajamas more than 30 years ago after it was found to cause cancer is being used with increasing regularity in furniture, paint – even baby carriers and bassinets – and manufacturers are under no obligation to let the public know about it.

EPA drops ball on danger of chemicals to children
The Environmental Protection Agency is supposed to evaluate compounds in products such as flame retardants in mattresses and car seats to see if they are especially harmful to children. But it doesn’t.

Warning: Bisphenol A is in you
The federal government’s assurances that a common chemical is safe are based on outdated U.S. government studies and research heavily funded by the chemical industry.

GUIDE: What you can do to minimize your chemical exposure

Are your products safe? You can’t tell.
Congress ordered the federal government in 1996 to begin testing and regulating certain chemicals suspected of causing cancer and a host of developmental problems. Eleven years later, not a single compound has been put to that test.

AUDIO SLIDESHOW: A chemical home audit
GRAPHIC: Room by room chemicals abound (pdf)