Press Releases - Women's Voices for the Earth

Statement: Women’s and Salon Worker Health Organizations Applaud California’s Policymakers in Passing Vital Ingredient Disclosure Legislation

25 Aug 2020

SB 312 exposes chemicals of concerns hiding in the fragrance and flavors used in personal care, beauty and professional salon products — and empowers people with information necessary to protect their health With resounding bi-partisan support, California’s Assembly members passed SB 312 (Sen. Leyva, D-Chino) — Cosmetic Fragrance and Flavor Ingredient Right to Know Act of 2020 — legislation which takes significant steps in protecting public health by providing vital ingredient information. “Consumers should be able to buy great-smelling hair products, lotions, perfume and make-up without worrying that they are exposing themselves – or their families – to cancer-causing chemicals,...

Women’s Health Organization Cautions Educators About Harmful Exposures to Toxic Chemicals in Disinfectants

17 Jun 2020

To help prevent the overuse and the misuse of disinfectants in schools, Women’s Voices for the Earth has released a toolkit for parents and guardians on how to talk to educators about safer alternatives. The toolkit includes a comprehensive list of EPA-certified safer disinfectants to combat COVID-19 that use active ingredients like hydrogen peroxide instead of toxic quats. But beyond disinfectants, the toolkit also highlights how to use these products safely, and stresses the importance and effectiveness of hand-washing for keeping kids healthy.

Statement on George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery

27 May 2020

Women’s Voices for the Earth is profoundly devastated and outraged by the recent brutal killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. We are tired of seeing headlines and newsfeeds populate again and again with names, faces and stories of black men and women harmed by a system that often determines worth by our sex, wealth, and whiteness. The damage that occurs when certain groups are privileged or disadvantaged because of their gender, their class or their race, is not just catastrophic, it is fatal.

Affected Communities Urge The Environmental Protection Agency To End The Free Pass It Is Giving Polluters

29 Apr 2020

More than 150 affected communities, environmental justice organizations and other groups are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to rescind or replace its policy allowing companies to stop reporting how much they pollute under the guise of COVID-19. The policy, which took effect in mid March, allows companies to use COVID-19 as an excuse to stop critical health and safety monitoring—without notifying the public or the EPA. The policy applies to every industry in the country, including chemical manufacturing, coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and virtually all other sources of pollution. In addition to increasing the potential for catastrophic chemical releases and explosions, the policy allows the EPA to waive enforcement even if the suspension of monitoring causes an “imminent threat” to health or the environment. On top of all that, the policy comes at a time when EPA inspections are at a decade-long low.

California AB 1989 Is Not Enough to Protect the Health of People Who Menstruate

30 Jan 2020

“Allowing companies to claim CBI is an immediate red flag when it comes to the safety of period care products. These products have been woefully under-regulated and under-researched for decades and there is so much we don’t know about their manufacturing, ingredients and potential health impacts,” said Alexandra Scranton, Director of Science and Research at WVE. “Allowing some ingredients to be hidden as CBI will hamper the progress of needed research, and will not give people who menstruate, advocates, or researchers a full picture of the ingredients used in these products.”

Statement: WVE Opposes California Assembly Bill 1989

27 Jan 2020

California AB 1989 allows manufacturers to intentionally hide ingredients Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE) opposes California Assembly Bill 1989. AB 1989 was introduced by Assembly Member Cristina Garcia and requires some ingredients to be listed on the packaging of tampons, pads, menstrual cup and underwear, but also allows manufacturers to hide certain ingredients as confidential business information. Recently, A.164B (authored by Linda B. Rosenthal) was signed into law by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, requiring disclosure of intentionally added ingredients. Notably, the bill does not allow manufacturers to hide ingredients from their customers by deeming them to be confidential business information....