Defend Our Health

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

Defend Our Health, along with partners across the country, are calling on Home Depot to phase out toxic PVC plastics - companies, consumers, and communities in Maine and nationwide are coming together to reduce the toxic exposure to PFAS, plastics, and pesticides!

As we approach The Home Depot's annual shareholder meeting on May 21, frontline leaders from across the country are calling on The Home Depot to lead the industry away from toxic PVC plastic.

Many of the advocates pictured live with the daily consequences of vinyl production and disposal, from polluted air and water in their communities to serious illnesses like cancer that may be linked to chemical exposure.

Safer alternatives to PVC already exist. To protect the health of these frontline communities, The Home Depot must restrict PVC in its packaging and lead the industry toward safer alternatives!

Read more at the link in comments!

Check it out! Our partners at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) have launched “Microplastics Are Micromonsters,” a national public health campaign about the growing body of scientific evidence that microplastics — tiny pieces of plastic shed from everyday products — are accumulating in the human body and may be harming our health.

“Microplastics are in our blood, our brains, and our babies, and the science on what they're doing to our bodies is only getting more concerning,” said Renée Sharp, director of plastics and petrochemical advocacy at NRDC. “People deserve to know what's in their bodies and what they can do about it to protect themselves and their families. While no one can shop their way out of the problem, simple swaps in your daily routine can reduce exposure and making that knowledge accessible is what this campaign is all about.”

NRDC Launches “Microplastics Are Micromonsters” to Combat Growing Human Health Threat New national campaign offers practical guidance to reduce everyday exposure to microplastics

The US EPA administrator is fighting to slash EPA’s budget. Maine’s governor vetoed a first-in-the-nation moratorium on PFAS-releasing, plastic-waste-generating, energy-and-water-hogging data centers. The Supreme Court is seriously considering allowing toxic pesticide manufacturers off the hook for the harm they knowingly caused. A step backwards…

But in the face of that, Defend Our Health is charging ahead and making our communities safer. For every step they take backwards, we’re taking two steps towards health! Here are some things to celebrate:

We’ve reviewed over 200 companies for compliance with Maine’s ban on PFAS in cookware, and contacted over 100 to help them better protect consumers from toxic forever chemicals.

We’re working with regulators in multiple states to make sure that toxic chemicals like formaldehyde in kids’ products are disclosed (so parents and schools can avoid them) and phased out - markers, finger paint, toy trucks, and dress up clothes should be safe!

And this summer we’ll be ramping up testing to find hidden toxics in our consumer goods, food contact materials, drinking water, and even our bodies!

Working with communities across Maine and with partners throughout the US, we are changing corporate practices and phasing out toxic chemicals. And we’re not alone; nearly 60 countries just jointly agreed to start phasing out petrochemicals and major retailers are dropping petroleum-based artificial food dyes after pressure from consumers and state-level bans. We don’t need unanimous national or international agreement to make real, positive changes, just people like you working together to make sure our kids, our families, and our neighbors are protected!

What you can do:
1) If you haven’t already, sign the petition to get PFAS out of cookware (https://takeaction.io/ehsc/tell-retailers-to-stop-selling-poisoned-pans/) and urge kids clothing retailers to drop plastic fabrics (https://takeaction.io/ehsc/tell-the-children-s-place-carter-s-and-h-m-to-cut-back-on-clothes-made-of-plastic/)
2) Keep an eye out for our upcoming resources around avoiding toxics in cookware, bakeware, and kitchen appliances
3) Make sure you're subscribed for our email updates and action alerts! (https://defendourhealth.org/newsletter-signup/)

Check out this new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts! Americans are overwhelmingly on the same page -- toxic chemicals need to go! We deserve clean and safe food, water, and consumer products, and companies need to be forced (including through government policy) to eliminate toxics like PFAS and petrochem plastics from everyday items that we rely on!

Most U.S. adults are concerned about harmful chemicals in food, drinking water, and everyday products—and 5 in 6 say government and business should do more to ensure chemical safety. https://pewtrsts.org/4canA94

A new study from PEW confirms what we already knew - people don't want to be poisoned for corporate profit! Americans of all backgrounds are overwhelmingly concerned about toxic exposures, think corporations need to be held accountable, and want government to do more. State and local laws, properly enforced, can be a powerful tool in reducing our families' exposures to toxic chemicals!

More than 70% of American adults are very or somewhat concerned about exposure to toxic chemicals in their food and drinking water, according to a new survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Public concern is so intense that 5 out of 6 adults in the United States said they wanted the federal government and industry to do more to protect them. https://cnn.it/3OxZOtW

Please sign this petition to help ban SGAR rodenticides in Maine! Toxic pesticides affect non-target species (including humans!).

Sign our petition to ban dangerous rodenticides in Maine!
https://tr.ee/o9kTYc

To learn more about how rodenticides impact wildlife, read more below.
https://maineaudubon.org/news/reducing-rodenticides-in-maine/

Toxic cookware that contains PFAS-plastic coatings like PTFE and Teflon are no longer legal to sell in Maine, Minnesota, Vermont, and Colorado. And thanks to recent California and Colorado laws, manufacturers also must tell us when they use PFAS and can’t make confusing claims like “PFOS-free” (one specific PFAS chemical) when a product has PFAS in it.

Sign our petition to urge manufacturers and retailers to drop PFAS cookware from their product lines and sales in all states - safer cookware for all, now!
--> https://takeaction.io/ehsc/tell-retailers-to-stop-selling-poisoned-pans/