NYS Environmental Health & Justice Advocates and Bill Sponsors Call for Action on Bills to Protect Communities, Pollinators, and to Get Toxics Out of Everyday Products
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Contact: Bobbi Wilding, Clean+Healthy, (518) 708-3875, bobbi@cleanhealthyny.org
ALBANY, NY — As the 2023 legislation session ramps up, advocates and bill sponsors gathered, calling on NYS representatives to pass key environmental justice and health policy, to remove harmful and unnecessary toxics from their everyday products.
Environmental leaders across the state call on their state representatives to pass the following bills into law to eliminate toxic pesticide use, ban harmful chemicals in personal care, menstrual and everyday products, and to include public participation in major project siting:
The birds and bees protection act S. 1856 (Hoylman-Sigal) / A.3226 (Glick) prohibits the sale of neonicotinoids, or seeds coated with neonicotinoids, which studies show cause cardiac arrest, tremors and autism-like symptoms in humans.
Enhanced public participation S. 2510 (Ramos) requires project applicants to provide a comprehensive plan to the DEC for public feedback on proposed facilities intended to be sited in disadvantaged communities. Passed Senate.
Safe personal care & cosmetics act - S. 4265 (Webb) regulates ingredients in personal care products and cosmetics, including toxic chemicals proven to be harmful to women and people of color.
Urgent action is also required to eliminate PFAS in products, given the growing list of health impacts that PFAS cause or contribute to:
Multisector PFAS ban A. 3556 (Zebrowski) bans PFAS in products, e,g., cookware, architectural paint, textiles, fabric treatments, ski wax and cleaning products.
PFAS in anti-fogging spray S. 992 (Hoylman-Sigal) bans PFAS in anti-fogging sprays and wipes.
PFAS and other toxics in menstrual products S.3529 (Fernandez) bans toxic chemicals in menstrual and intimate hygiene products, e.g., PFAS, mercury, phthalates, parabens, and formaldehyde.
In the 2023-24 budget, the coalition supports the long-overdue expansion of staff in the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and urges that within that, staff are added to the Pollution Prevention Unit of the Division of Materials Management, which has been even more woefully understaffed for decades (down to 7 staff from late 1990s staff of 35). The Unit is responsible for implementing and enforcing hazardous waste reduction requirements for New York businesses, as well as all laws covering toxics in products, such as the Toxic Chemicals in Children's Products law, the Family and Fire Fighter Protection Act.
“This year, the NYS legislature has the opportunity to make a timely environmental impact by prohibiting harmful “forever chemicals” from everyday products, and other toxics in personal care and cosmetic products, including those determined as especially harmful to women and people of color,” said Bobbi Wilding, Executive Director of Clean+Healthy, which co-leads the JustGreen Partnership. “These policies will also ban the sale of seeds treated with unnecessary and harmful pesticides, which have already been found in the groundwater in Long Island, and would mandate the inclusion of plans for public participation in major project applications in disadvantaged communities. We urge the legislature to quickly pass these bills.”
“We are calling on the state legislature to stand up for environmental justice and pass these critical bills,” said Briana Carbajal, WE ACT for Environmental Justice’s State Legislative Manager. “Senator Ramos' bill will give communities a voice in the permitting process for potential sources of pollution, which is critical because the residents of these communities, most often people of color, are the ones most impacted by these decisions. And Senator Webb’s Safe Personal Care & Cosmetics Act will help get toxic ingredients out of these products, which are used more frequently by women of color.”
"After passing the first-in-the-nation ingredient disclosure law for menstrual products in 2019, I am proud to be working with the JustGreen Partnership to advance legislation to protect those who menstruate from harmful chemicals that have been identified in menstrual products on store shelves," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF - Manhattan). "Consumers are waking up to the dangers posed by PFAS, lead and other toxins, but may not realize those ingredients are also found in menstrual products. People who menstruate not only have a right to know what is in products they use, but they have a right to be able to purchase products without fear that they contain known toxins. I look forward to passing this bill into law and furthering New York State's commitment to menstrual equity."
“It is shocking to me that we could overlook a toxic chemicals issue that intersects with both women’s health and environmental safety,” said Senator Nathalia Fernandez. “This bill would put a stop to the sale of harmful chemicals in feminine hygiene products like mercury, formaldehyde, and PFAS. An individual can use over 16,000 feminine hygiene products over the course of their lifetime, ranging from tampons to pads and wipes. This opens their bodies to an influx of all types of chemicals and substances. I am proud that this bill will stand with a package of environmental bills from my colleagues that will protect both the citizens and the environment of New York State.”
“With the incredible amount of research out on the detrimental effects of PFAS, which continues to grow weekly, it is indisputable that these toxic chemicals have no place in our communities, homes, or worse, bioaccumulating inside the bodies of our families. Passage of these bills will further limit these harmful exposures, aligning with recommended steps to reduce PFAS risk and avoidance by the likes of CDC, ATSDR, and medical experts, which includes reducing use of products that contain PFAS. Clearly, these bills are urgent and most necessary for the ongoing protection of public health from these toxins.” Loreen Hackett, PfoaProject NY.
“To safeguard New Yorkers and our local economies, we must defend them against the most harmful chemicals,” said Bob Rossi, Executive Director of the New York Sustainable Business Council (NYSBC). “Some accumulate in our drinking water, impacting New York businesses throughout our food system. They erode our health and increase employee turnover, absenteeism, and worker training needs. The resulting increase in social services puts further strain on our economy. New York's legislature can mitigate this persistent economic drain and drive innovation toward safer chemicals by advancing these bills, which address many egregious ways that New Yorkers are being poisoned by common products and practices.”
“Toxic chemicals have no place in the food we grow or in the products we use to cook our meals or clean our homes, let alone in our skincare or feminine hygiene products,” Said Andrew Williams, Deputy Director of State Policy for the New York League of Conservation Voters. “It’s time to stop applying toxic chemicals to everything we produce and end this culture that prizes convenience at the expense of environmental and public health. We join our partners in urging the state legislature to pass this slate of common sense measures and to ensure DEC has the staffing necessary to enforce these laws.”
"The full impact of toxic chemicals to our air, water, land, and communities is often not realized until the contamination, and ensuing cancers, neuropathies and premature deaths have already occurred," said Caitlin Ferrante, Conservation Program Manager, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. "The JustGreen Partnership is prioritizing key pieces of legislation that will turn off the tap for these forever chemicals found in everyday products, further protecting our communities and safeguarding our most vulnerable citizens. We look forward to working with the legislature to pass the JustGreen Partnership priorities quickly this legislative session."
“The unfortunate truth about toxic chemicals is that they, through decades of unchecked exposure, have deeply harmed human health and the environment,” said Liz Moran, New York Policy Advocate with Earthjustice. “With a lack of regulations and enforcement, exposure to toxic chemicals have made their way into our homes in the form of pesticides, personal care products, and a growing list of cookware, paint, and cleaning products. Toxic exposure harms and lack of regulation exposed by the recent chemical disasters have demonstrated the dire need for action. We call on the legislature to strengthen public health and environmental protections by banning, regulating, and expanding public participation in the process of eliminating toxic chemical exposure for our children’s and communities’ future and safety.”
