A very large coalition of Public Health Organizations, Health Care Providers and Research Institutions, Nursing Organizations, Learning and Developmental Disabilities Organizations, Labor Organizations, National Environmental Organizations, Environmental Justice Organizations, State Advocacy and Community Organizations, and others, known as the Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families Coalition, is pressing the largest retailers to identify whether a specific list of hazardous chemicals are in the products they sell, and if so, to develop a plan to remove them. The Coalition says that the chemicals, called The Hazardous 100+, have been linked to cancer, asthma, hormone disruption, developmental disabilities and other health problems. It claims to have the support of organizations representing over 11 million Americans for this campaign.

The retailers targeted include Walmart, Kroger’s, Safeway, Home Depot, and Best Buy. The Coalition states that the chemicals, which include formaldehyde, Bisphenol A, flame retardants, parabens, phthalates, and many more, appear in a range of products, from cosmetics and hygiene products, to soaps, flooring and furniture. Most of the chemicals have been identified by federal, state or international authorities as having health or environmental concerns.

The Coalition says that there is no functioning regulatory system for the chemicals that end up in homes and workplaces through their presence in consumer products.

The Coalition’s announcement can be found at http://www.saferchemicals.org/2013/04/major-retailers-pressed-to-dump-toxic-chemicals-in-consumer-products.html

and the campaign site, including a list of the Hazardous 100+ list, is at http://mindthestore.saferchemicals.org/hazardous100+