EWG news roundup (11/4): PFAS found in pet food packaging and baby textiles, EWG calls for windfall profit tax for oil industry and more

This week, EWG released new test results that found the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in pet food packaging and textile products made for babies and toddlers.

“It’s almost impossible to avoid PFAS, because as these tests confirm, they’re prevalent in all aspects of our daily lives,” said Sydney Evans, a science analyst at EWG who led the project. “The PFAS coating on these products wears off and gets into dust that can be ingested by children and pets.”

Earlier in the week, President Joe Biden attacked oil industry giants for reaping record profits but not lowering prices that are battering U.S. consumers’ pocketbooks. EWG called on Biden and Congress to pass legislation creating a windfall profit tax, which could benefit Americans hit hard financially by high gas prices.

California energy giant Pacific Gas & Electric has requested the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission extend the life of the state's only remaining nuclear power plant. The dilapidated plant was slated to close in 2025, because of its high cost of operation and numerous risks, including earthquake susceptibility.

“The Eisenhower-era energy policies that brought us nuclear power and all the dangerous and costly baggage that came with it should be left to the history books,” said EWG President and California resident Ken Cook. “And that should include Diablo Canyon, where even one of the NRC’s own inspectors said the plant is too risky to keep open.”

Here’s some news you can use going into the weekend.

PFAS in pet food packaging

The Guardian: Most US pet food contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’, study finds

In a recent study public health advocate the Environmental Working Group (EWG) checked 11 bags of pet food and found that all of them contained the substance, including several at extremely high levels.

The Hill: Equilibrium/Sustainability — Global warming sparking Arctic fire activity

These toxins — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — are common ingredients in children’s and pet product coatings, and can wear off as dust over time, according to the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization.

The Hill: Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ found in children’s textiles, pet food packaging

It’s almost impossible to avoid PFAS, because as these tests confirm, they’re prevalent in all aspects of our daily lives,” project leader Sydney Evans, a science analyst at the Environmental Working Group, said in a statement.

Benzene in personal care products

The Washington Post: Aerosol hair products tainted by benzene may still be on store shelves

Homer Swei, a senior vice president at the Environmental Working Group, a research and advocacy organization, said he believes the supply chain of propellants for these different companies must have been affected to lead to such a wide range of recalls.

EPA designates PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances

Inside PFAS Policy: Environmentalists Press EPA To ‘Jumpstart’ Cleanups With CERCLA Rule

The coalition of 150 national and grassroots environmental groups, including Environmental Working Group and Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), strongly support the agency’s proposed designation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), the two most-studied per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) -- the first such listing through rulemaking of its kind.

Food chemicals

United Press International: Halloween candy may have 'spooky' red dye, science group warns

The Center for Science in the Public Interest sent a petition Oct. 24 to the FDA, co-signed by more than a dozen other organizations, including the Environmental Working Group, seeking to remove Red No. 3 from the permanent list of color additives approved for use in food and dietary supplements, and for use in ingested drugs.

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