This week, EWG released its 16th annual Guide to Sunscreens, finding that about 75 percent of more than 1,850 products evaluated rate poorly for skin protection from the sun, or have ingredients that could be harmful to health or heighten sensitivity to the sun’s harmful rays.
“Some ingredients commonly found in sunscreens have been linked to both human and environmental concerns,” said Carla Burns, EWG's senior director for cosmetic science. “We slather these ingredients on our skin, but many of these chemicals haven't been adequately tested. EWG has been advocating for the Food and Drug Administration to review these ingredients for 16 years.”
EWG looked at the status in fast-food restaurant packaging of the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS in fast-food restaurant food packaging, and efforts to phase them out.
Many packaged baked goods are made with flour that may contain potassium bromate, an additive linked to cancer. EWG has identified over 130 different products that contain potassium bromate in its Food Scores database.
The New York Assembly recently passed a bill that would impose a two-year pause on new “proof of work” cryptocurrency miners who are seeking to revive shuttered fossil fuel power plants to generate electricity for their operations. EWG applauded the Assembly and called upon the state Senate to continue advancing the bill.
“We applaud the Assembly for taking this important step to protect the environment and public health and hope the state Senate will follow suit,” said EWG Energy Policy Director Jessica Hernandez. “Industries, including proof of work cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, should prioritize curbing their emissions to combat climate change – not try to keep using fossil fuels to power their operations.”
Here’s some news you can use going into the weekend.
Children’s health
USSA News: Fluoride Exposure May Contribute to Early Puberty
The Environmental Working Group even reported a finding from a Harvard PhD thesis that showed boys exposed to fluoridated water when they were between the ages of 6 and 8 had a seven-fold increased risk of developing osteosarcoma, a form of frequently fatal bone cancer.
EWG’s Guide to Sunscreens
CNN: Everything you need to know to fight sunburns, premature aging and skin cancer this summer
The Environmental Working Group released its annual guide to sunscreen use Thursday, with lists of its recommended sunscreens, including options for kids, mineral and nonmineral varieties, and moisturizers and lip balms with SPF. The EWG does not make revenue from these lists, according to a spokesperson.
BREAKFAST BROWSE – Life’s better in flip flops. But don’t forget sunscreen! It’s time to pack on the SPF and learn how to keep your skin protected during these warmer months.
Help is here. Enter the Environmental Working Group: a nonprofit organization that specializes in evaluating the safety of personal care products in everyday life. Every year, EWG releases its sunscreen guide to help shoppers find the safest and most protective options available. In this year’s guide, EWG evaluated more than 1,850 sunscreens — and only about 1-in-4 met their standards. Those standards include the omission of certain chemicals (oxybenzone, vitamin A/retinyl palmitate), insect repellent); and type (cream, broad-spectrum, water resistant, SPF between 15-50).
Agriculture conservation
Happ said that IATP launched the study because of anecdotal evidence from the Environmental Working Group and other sources raising questions about large conservation payments being made to operations with a history of manure pollution in rural communities.
Alternative protein
E&E News: Biden nutrition conference may fire up climate debate on meat
“It’s impossible to talk about nutrition without addressing that we’re eating more protein than is healthy,” said Scott Faber, senior vice president for government affairs at the Environmental Working Group. But the EWG has urged the White House to keep the upcoming conference focused on hunger and nutrition, rather than the climate debate, Faber said.
Skin Deep® cosmetics database
US Weekly: 10 of the Best Full-Coverage Foundations for a Flawless Complexion
We also consulted the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) website on what foundations were found to be safest — and least safe. Of course, we also avoided tinted moisturizers and BB creams for this list, as they tend to have much lighter coverage!
EWG VERIFIED™: Cosmetics
WWD: Follain Joins Forces With Novi Connect for Sustainable Sourcing
Follain carries products that are EWG Verified, cruelty free and non-GMO. Many products in Follain’s selection are vegan, and the Follain Restricted List contains over 5,639 chemicals to date. Not only will Novi Connect aid Follain in vetting ingredients using its Ingredient Screening Tool, but it will also support the company in expanding its restricted list in the years to come.
Farm subsidies
NPR: The price to grow food is soaring with inflation
FORDHAM: The price he gets for the crops won't reflect his soaring costs, says agricultural economist Anne Schechinger of the nonprofit the Environmental Working Group.
Food chemicals
Eat This, Not That!: Thousands Of Unregulated Chemicals Are Currently In Your Food, Experts Say
During a recent phone interview we conducted with Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group's senior vice president of government affairs, we learned that chemical companies and food manufacturers, not the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as you'd assume, decide what food additives are safe for consumption. And, that's a problem because some of these ingredients have been banned in other countries for being toxic to humans. According to Faber, food chemicals are "basically unregulated." But don't just take his word for it.
Microplastics
Marketplace: Companies might find microplastics cheap, but the environment is paying the price
Some states are taking the initiative to pass more expansive legislation addressing the issue of microplastics. Tasha Stoiber, senior scientist at the Environmental Working Group, noted that California introduced a bill this year that would ban the sale or distribution of products like cosmetics, waxes and polishes that have “intentionally added microplastics,” along with microbeads in detergents.
The New Lede
Last month, an Ohio court certified a class action lawsuit brought by lawyer Rob Bilott that would cover 7 million people – and at some point possibly everyone living in the United States – who have been exposed to certain hazardous “forever chemicals” known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS.
2022 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™
Southern Living: How to Clean Strawberries
As a result, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) has put strawberries as the top of the annual Dirty Dozen list, a compilation of the fruits and vegetables with the highest levels of pesticide reside based on testing by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Tap Water Database
Good Housekeeping: 10 Best Water Filters of 2022, Tested in Our Labs
Access to safe drinking water is an issue across the globe, and it affects communities in the United States. If you’re not sure about your water quality, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) just updated its Tap Water Database in 2021.