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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High Court Hears Preemption Arguments

Dec 4, 2007 by Matthew Madia

A case being argued before the Supreme Court today could affect the way consumers seek redress from companies when harmed by faulty drugs or medical devices. The case, Riegel v. Medtronic, "was brought by the family of a New York man who suffered severe medical complications when a balloon catheter burst during a procedure to clear his arteries," according to The Los Angeles Times. Medtronic is arguing federal regulations serve as a shield which protects it from tort claims. Since FDA approved the medical device, Medtronic believes it bears no responsibility for injuries caused by its use.

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Draft Guidance Would Create Drug Approval Loophole

Nov 30, 2007 by Matthew Madia

An investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee shows that FDA is considering a new policy (which would take the form of a draft guidance document) that would allow drug companies to market unapproved use of pharmaceuticals by distributing journal articles. In a letter to FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach, Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) explains the problem:

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Comments on FDA's Conflict of Interest Guidance for Advisory Panels

Download here

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Latest Analyses from OMB Watch

Nov 21, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Every two weeks, in OMB Watch's e-newsletter The Watcher, we analyze a few recent issues in regulatory policy. Here are the articles from the November 20 issue: More of the Same: Import Safety Panel Leaves Business in Charge The Bush administration's cabinet-level Interagency Working Group on Import Safety released its final report Nov. 6 on ways to improve the safety of food and consumer products imported into the U.S. The report calls for limited increases in some federal agencies' responsibilities but does little to change the current voluntary regulatory scheme for imports. Read more...

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More of the Same: Import Safety Panel Leaves Business in Charge

The Bush administration's cabinet-level Interagency Working Group on Import Safety released its final report Nov. 6 on ways to improve the safety of food and consumer products imported into the U.S. The report calls for limited increases in some federal agencies' responsibilities but does little to change the current voluntary regulatory scheme that governs some $2 trillion worth of products, 800,000 importers and more than 300 ports-of-entry.

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Toxic Chemicals R Us

All 35 participants tested positive for three toxic chemical groups in a study conducted by the Commonweal Biomonitoring Resource Center and the Body Burden Working Group. The report on the study, Is It In Us?: Chemical Contamination in our Bodies, released Nov. 8, is the first multi-state, multi-organizational effort to evaluate the presence of this particular combination of chemicals in Americans.

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Industry Science Raises Concern over Safe Meat Packaging

Nov 14, 2007 by Matthew Madia

At a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing yesterday, members, meat industry representatives and federal regulators debated the safety of using carbon monoxide to make packaged meat appear red for longer periods of time. Critics believe using the gas to preserve the redness of the meat, even after it has potentially spoiled, is misleading to consumers. Tests into the safety of the practice revealed dubious results. According to The Washington Post:

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EPA Releases Findings on Exposure to Diacetyl

Nov 8, 2007 by Matthew Madia

EPA has finally released its study of the chemical exposures that occur for consumers of microwave popcorn. EPA had previously refused to release the study to the public. The study includes information on consumer exposure to diacetyl, the butter flavoring chemical known to cause lung disease. Much of the furor over diacetyl has related to those exposed during the manufacturing process, but consumers are also at risk. The Pump Handle blog has an analysis of the study: "EPA Microwave Popcorn Emissions Study Finally Published"

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Latest Analyses from OMB Watch

Nov 7, 2007 by Matthew Madia

Every two weeks, in OMB Watch's e-newsletter The Watcher, we analyze a few recent issues in regulatory policy. Here are the articles from the November 6 issue: Vice President Reemerging in Regulatory Review Meetings

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Consumer Products Expose Children to Toxic Chemicals

If you are worried about products exposing you or your children to toxic chemicals, don't look to the federal government for much help. The government, to a large extent, does not require companies to test chemicals for possible health effects before using them in consumer products, nor does it require that such products be fully labeled with chemical ingredients. In the absence of such government activity, public interest groups and the media have stepped into the role of testing and informing the public.

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