posted on February 18, 2014
Thanks to TCG client Laurence Vinocur, Staples has agreed to only sell seat/back cushions that are reformulated to virtually eliminate the toxic flame retardant tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP), a chemical known to cause cancer. Vinocur alleged that Staples violated Proposition 65 by selling seat/back cushions that contain TDCPP in California without providing a health hazard warning.
Under Proposition 65, companies offering products for sale in California that contain... full text
posted on February 11, 2014
A new study published in Health Affairs suggests that replacing Bisphenol A (BPA) with a safer alternative, especially in food and drink containers, could save the U.S. economy over a billion dollars a year in healthcare costs and lost labor. BPA, which is found in hard plastic water bottles, the linings of food cans, and grocery store receipts, is associated with childhood obesity, coronary heart disease, and cancer.
The study suggests that exposure to BPA is associated with significant... full text
posted on February 10, 2014
TCG Clients Serve Fifteen New 60-Day Notices
Russell Brimer and Paul Wozniak--clients of The Chanler Group--served fifteen new 60-Day Notices of Proposition 65 Violation last week. The notices were served to companies offering products such as hand tools, home furniture and musical equipment for sale in California containing chemicals known to cause reproductive harm, without the required health hazard warning. TCG's citizen enforcers allege that the companies' products... full text
posted on February 7, 2014
The Green Science Policy Institute is hosting a symposium on what they’re calling “the flame retardant dilemma” on Feb. 14, 2014, at UC Berkeley, discussing the progress made in eliminating toxic flame retardants from our lives and how to strike a balance between that and fire safety. Among the speakers will be scientists, government representatives, the President of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation, and one of the directors and producers of... full text
posted on February 5, 2014
Due to the efforts of TCG client Anthony Held, Ph.D, P.E., Reebok has agreed to reformulate its softballs to virtually eliminate di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a known carcinogen and reproductive toxicant. Held alleged that Reebok violated Proposition 65 by selling softballs containing DEHP in California without providing a health hazard warning. Under Proposition 65, companies offering products for sale in California that contain chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive harm must... full text
posted on February 4, 2014
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has designated trichloroethylene (TCE) as a chemical known to cause reproductive toxicity, effective January 31, 2014. Beginning January 31, 2015, companies selling products that contain TCE will have to provide a health hazard warning stating that their products contain a chemical known to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm.
This designation is based on formal... full text
posted on January 29, 2014
A new settlement agreement with Deluxe Corporation, a manufacturer and distributor of a variety of checkbook covers across the United States, will ensure that their products will either be reformulated to eliminate the presence of a toxic phthalate chemical or at least be accompanied by a health hazard warning.
Additionally, The Chanler Group’s clients negotiated a cy pres payment, meaning that a portion of the civil penalties will go to the Silent Spring Institute, a not-for-profit... full text
posted on January 28, 2014
Jakks Pacific has provided certification to Russell Brimer and Peter Englander, clients of The Chanler Group, stating that its padded children’s chairs offered for sale in California have been reformulated in advance of the deadline imposed by the settlement agreement between the parties. The settlement was for a total of $58,000, but Brimer and Englander agreed to waive a portion of it should Jakks Pacific accelerate the reformulation of its products to no longer contain the toxic... full text
posted on January 24, 2014
Consumer Reports recently tested a variety of sodas purchased in California and New York, and found unacceptably high levels of 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) in some of them. 4-MEI is a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer. Under Proposition 65, products containing cancer-causing chemicals must be accompanied by a health hazard warning. The products purchased by Consumer Reports did not have warnings.
4-MEI is found in some types of caramel color, which is... full text
posted on January 21, 2014
According to a study conducted by the University of California San Francisco, the levels of banned phthalates in people’s bodies have decreased; however, similar and potentially toxic compounds are appearing in their place. The findings were published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
Phthalates are chemical compounds that are used to soften plastic and vinyl, and make them more pliable. They can be found in plastic pouches, packaging, medical devices,... full text
