Defend Our Health

States like Maine are leading the way nationally on safer, less toxic food packaging! Thank you Representative Lori K. Gramlich for your leadership on this!

Great news! Your pizza box or takeout container may look the same as it did last week, but on Monday, new regulations on PFAS in food packaging took effect to reduce Mainers’ exposure to these harmful forever chemicals.

Exposure to PFAS ("forever chemicals") is linked to significant health risks. Key effects include elevated cholesterol, a reduced ability to fight infections, developmental delays in children, increased risks of kidney and testicular cancers, and complications such as preeclampsia during pregnancy.

This new law, builds on our broader effort to eliminate PFAS from consumer products since 2019, including the 2021 law I sponsored that helped establish a framework for the Department of Environmental Protection to reduce PFAS over time.

Maine continues to lead on common-sense policy that protects public health and the environment. I’m so proud of our work!



Check it out: https://www.midcoastvillager.com/news/maines-pfas-packaging-ban-takes-effect/article_93e0cede-b0a9-4281-b14a-326d493cd377.html

Great news - Maine's board of pesticide control are putting safety-focused restrictions on SGAR pesticides!

Breaking News! The state Board of Pesticides Control moved forward today with a restriction on the sale and use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). SGARs are powerful toxins that can be accidentally ingested by a host of non-target wildlife, including owls, eagles, foxes, and household pets, causing injury or death.

Did you know that there are toxic chemicals in personal care products that we use everyday like shampoo, make-up, shaving cream, face wash and more! The Beauty Justice Act S.2057B (PASSED) / A.2054B bans those toxics, protecting us from health issues like asthma, reproductive issues, cancer, and more.

We are running out of time this session to get this bills passed. You can use your voice to tell Carl E. Heastie to bring this bill to a vote in the Assembly ASAP! bit.ly/timeforbeautyjustice

New York State Assembly Majority ..

Plastic chemicals and microplastic exposures must be reduced to protect children’s brains.

Project TENDR's new scientific consensus statement on how chemicals in plastics and microplastics are harming children's brains is now published in the June issue of Environment International. It says:

1. Action is urgently needed to safeguard children’s developing brains from microplastics and plastic-related chemicals.
2. Neurotoxic chemicals in plastics are contributing to children's problems with learning, attention, and behavior.
3. One in 6 children in the U.S. are now diagnosed with developmental conditions including ADHD, autism, and learning disabilities.
4. Microplastics can enter cells and disrupt placental and metabolic functions that impact fetal growth and brain growth.

There are solutions.

Read this paper from Project Tendr (link in bio): https://zurl.co/OOh2r

Powerful new piece from Lindsay Dahl, featuring our recent study that found endocrine-disrupting chemicals in breast milk.

Families should not bear the burden of avoiding harmful chemicals one product at a time. We need policies that prevent exposure at the source by keeping toxic chemicals out of the products we use every day.

That's why protecting the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) matters. At a time when the chemical industry is pushing to weaken chemical safety protections, we need policies that keep toxic chemicals out of products and our bodies.

The science is clear. We need stronger protections, safer products, and policies that put health first.

Read Lindsay's piece at the link in comments.

In Maine, it’s a primary election today, so remember to vote! But your voice matters on more than just election days; communities are showing up and winning fights against data centers across the country!

Check out this great info on the health and environmental risks from data centers from our lead organizer, Sergio!

Your Voice Matters: Updates on Data Centers in Maine and Nationwide - Defend Our Health In Maine, it’s a primary election today, so remember to vote! But your voice matters on more than just election days; communities are showing up and winning fights against data centers across the country! Why talk data centers? PFAS releases, toxic plastic e-waste, noxious air emissions, water con...

The Nation’s Health, the official publication of the American Public Health Association, highlighted Defend’s work in their June 2026 edition. We're leading states like Maine to respond in a collaborative and coordinated way to make consumer safety and community safety something that is easy and the default.

States work to protect residents from PFAS as EPA backs down - Defend Our Health The Nation’s Health, the official publication of the American Public Health Association, highlighted Defend’s work in their June 2026 edition. With the federal government walking away from science and health policy measures, there is more difficulty and uncertainty for utilities and for industry...

Concerned about the proliferation of AI data centers across the country? So are we and so is Erin Brockovich -- learn more about this issue and her new mapping project at https://brockovichdatacenter.com/index.html -- in addition to spiking energy costs, draining water systems, causing noise pollution, and falsely promising benefits to communities, data centers release PFAS and other toxic emissions and produce toxic plastic e-waste.

We're coordinating with environmental advocates to make sure that Maine's new data center commission knows the facts and can set strong rules to protect communities from these harmful facilities.

Brockovich Data Center Reporting – U.S. AI Data Center Awareness & Issue Map Interactive map of major AI data centers across the United States — built or being built. Understand the community impact and report issues in your area.

We're appreciative of Maine Farmland Trust and Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry for coordinating the purchase of Songbird Farm to address the PFAS contamination on the site. While we wish Songbird Farm had never been sludged and contaminated, we are so thankful for the advocacy and passion of Adam Nordell who fought for farmers, helped phase out PFAS, and tirelessly worked to ban sludge spreading across the nation.

Maine buys second PFAS-contaminated farm The state acquired the former Songbird Farm in Unity almost 8 years after Adam Nordell and Johanna Davis learned that their water, land, produce and blood were contaminated by forever chemicals.

We're proud to share this new policy roadmap for Maine's future! This policy guide outlines five areas of focus and the specific actions needed to rebalance Maine’s environmental policies in favor of fairness, responsibility, sustainability, and collaboration. In taking these important steps, we will be preserving our natural assets and supporting the health and economic prospects of people and communities in Maine for generations to come.

We’re excited to share a new policy roadmap outlining what Maine can do over the next five years to protect our environment, strengthen communities, advance a clean energy future, and build a government that works for everyone. The plan was developed in partnership with organizations across the state, including NRCM experts, and it’s called Meeting the Moment: An Environmental Policy Guide for Maine. 🫎

Take a look 👇
meetingthemoment.protectmaine.org

Thank you to everyone who together to develop this plan: AMC Maine, Defend Our Health, GrowSmart Maine, Maine Audubon, Maine Chapter, American Academy of Pediatrics, Maine Climate Action Now, Maine Conservation Voters, Maine Council of Churches, Maine Lakes, Maine Environmental Education Association, Maine Medical Association, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), Maine Public Health Association, Maine Youth for Climate Justice, Physicians for Social Responsibility - Maine Chapter (PSR Maine), and Sierra Club Maine