Protecting Consumers

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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more news

Plastics Chemical Could Remain on Market Despite Ban

Despite a clear directive from Congress, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says it may continue to allow the sale of children's products containing a controversial plastics chemical.

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Public Wants More Info on Food Labels

A national poll shows strong consumer support for improved food labeling and more frequent inspections of food-processing facilities. According to food safety advocates, Americans want labels that identify use of genetically engineered or cloned ingredients, as well as expanded country-of-origin labeling. Labels are one of the most effective means to inform the public about the health, safety, origins, and environmental impact of a product.

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For High Court, High Stakes Case on Preemption

Nov 5, 2008 by Matthew Madia

A case argued before the Supreme Court Monday could affect the way consumers seek redress from companies when harmed by faulty drugs. In Wyeth v. Levine, a woman claims Wyeth pharmaceuticals did not provide adequate warning of side effects for one of its drugs. Complications from the drug, phenergan, led to amputation of her arm.

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FDA Experts Fought Rule to Protect Drug Makers

Oct 30, 2008 by Matthew Madia

FDA higher-ups pushed forward with a controversial rule that makes it harder for patients to learn of drugs' side effects despite objections from its own experts, a new report shows. The rule also removes patients' ability to sue pharmaceutical manufacturers when harmed by a drug.

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Science Advisors Chide FDA on Plastics Chemical

Oct 29, 2008 by Matthew Madia

FDA's panel of independent science advisors charged with reviewing the agency's work on bisphenol-A, a chemical commonly found in hard plastics and the lining of food cans, criticized FDA's current policy on the substance. The panel has "significant concerns" with the draft scientific assessment FDA released in August.

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FDA to Open Regulatory Offices in Foreign Countries

On Oct. 16, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will send personnel overseas to staff offices to help ensure the safety of imported food and drugs. The plan calls for staff to be assigned to offices in China, India, Europe, and Latin America. Many assignments will begin before the end of 2008.

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Foreign Foods Evade FDA's Watch

The ability of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to monitor and police imported foods is once again under scrutiny. A public health crisis originally thought to be limited to China crept into the U.S. when FDA announced recalls of products tainted by melamine, a dangerous chemical.

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EPA Withholds Pesticide Information While Bees Die

A conservation organization has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for failing to release information about a pesticide linked to dramatic declines in honeybee populations. The pesticide was approved on the condition that the manufacturer study the effects of the chemical on the bee species. The EPA has received the studies but refuses to release them to the public, even though a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request was filed.

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FDA Fighting Mounting Evidence on BPA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to claim there is insufficient evidence about the health effects of a chemical widely used in consumer products to justify regulating the substance. Evidence is mounting from a variety of other sources, however, that bisphenol-A (BPA) may affect human development and mental health. FDA continues to advise consumers that there is no reason to "discontinue using products that contain BPA."

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Bush Signs Consumer Product Safety Bill

Aug 14, 2008 by Matthew Madia

Today, as promised, President Bush signed into law the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (H.R. 4040). You can read a summary of the bill's major provisions here. Kudos to the president and to Congress for creating far-reaching reforms that are protective of consumers and will empower the Consumer Product Safety Commission to adequately police the marketplace.

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