People For Puget Sound and the Washington Toxics Coalition have released the first comprehensive study on how the group of chemicals called Phthalates enter the Sound. These man made chemicals, present in many plastics, fragrances, deodorants, perfumes, lotions, hair products and cleaners, are apparently ending up on our clothing attached to dust. This dust can come from vinyl flooring, and many other common household products. Once on our clothes, they get washed down into the Sound with our laundry. We need to look at how we ban these chemicals from our homes, but something you can do today is stop using Tide, which apparently is the one laundry soap with these chemicals in it. The laundry soap Seventh Generation tested free of Phthalates. While the sample is too small to be definitive, the widespread findings, from various sample sites, means that a great deal more study is needed, and soon, if we plan to clean up the Sound by 2020! However, the implication given the finding of these in every location, can easily be extrapolated. We need to and can act now.
The Recommendations:
- The State should act to ban these dangerous chemicals and have manufacturers replace them with safer alternatives.
- The State should take action to phase out these chemicals now, by helping companies to move to these alternatives with technical support.
- Companies should clearly label their products
- The public should demand phthalate free products at their stores.
- The Puget Sound Partnership should support these recommendations and act on them.
The study can be found, in it’s entirety, at http://www.pugetsound.org/pressroom/press-releases/092909drain
This is the kind of work your membership in either of these organizations helps pay for. Please consider joining if aren’t already a member!
Filed under: Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound |
