EDF Health

“Advanced recycling” is a toxic scam — now the EPA is turning a blind eye to some of the most toxic chemicals it produces

Advanced recycling is a false solution to the plastic waste crisis

What’s new: Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew a proposed rule covering 18 new chemicals, which would have paused industry efforts to turn toxic oils from plastic waste into fuel until the agency could review their health risks. Companies make these oils through pyrolysis, a controversial process that essentially burns plastic waste—often full of toxic additives like lead, phthalates and PFAS—at high temperatures. Industry has sought for years to re-brand this inefficient and dirty process as “advanced recycling”—a false solution to the plastic waste crisis.

Why it matters: In 2022, the EPA approved the production and use of the 18 chemicals despite significant health risks documented in the agency’s own analysis. These risks include an up-to 1-in-4 lifetime cancer risk—250,000 times greater than what the EPA typically considers acceptable. It was only after residents near the facility in Pascagoula, Mississippi that received the approval learned of these risks and filed a lawsuit that the EPA finally pulled it back.

As damning as the EPA’s 2022 analysis was, it almost certainly underestimated the true risks of the 18 chemicals by failing to consider the known health risks of toxic additives such as lead, PFAS and dioxins commonly found in waste-plastic pyrolysis oils. In response to mounting pressure, the EPA issued the proposed rule in 2023 to address these additional risks. Because it is nearly impossible to make fuels from these oils that are free from toxicants, the rule had an immediate chilling effect on industry investment in “advanced recycling” that’s thawing now that it has been withdrawn.

Our Take: The proposed rule was effective because it would have required companies to notify the EPA before producing and using the new chemicals when they contain toxic plastic additives by designating it as a significant new use. This designation also would have given the agency time to evaluate potential risks to human health and the environment—and mitigate them if necessary.

The proposed rule was also significant because it represents the first time the EPA officially acknowledged that waste plastic-derived pyrolysis oils contain toxic additives “known to cause cancer and harm the reproductive system, among other health effects.” While we believe this rule (and the list of toxic chemicals requiring review) did not go far enough—and submitted comments to the EPA in 2023 explaining why—it was a big step in the right direction.

What’s the problem with so-called “advanced recycling?” Although industry touts “advanced recycling” as a solution to the plastic waste crisis, the process has major flaws. Not only does it fail to recycle anything, but it also rarely results in new plastic products. To make matters worse, the oils it produces are so toxic that their use is highly limited. Continued investments in “advanced recycling” will lock us into burning more polluting fossil fuels that contribute to climate change. Instead of spending its resources propping up this toxic scam, industry could devote them to developing truly innovative and safe solutions.

What’s next? With the rule now out of the way, the EPA is likely to reissue its approval of the 18 chemicals and propose a new set of “rules” that would ignore both the known cancer risks and the additional risks from the highly toxic additives. This would be an unacceptable outcome for public health. The agency must consider the full picture of risk—not just part of it.

With industry actively pushing to develop new facilities across the country—and simultaneously seeking exemptions from other pollution limits for facilities like the one in Pascagoula—the EPA’s reversal opens the door to more pollution and greater harm to both people and the environment. We must hold both the EPA and industry accountable to ensure these plastic waste-derived new chemicals filled with dangerous toxins are not approved—and that any future rules protect people and the environment from unreasonable risk.

To learn more about the health risks of “advanced recycling,” check out this recent Instagram reel by Sarah Vogel, Senior Vice President of Healthy Communities.

Also posted in BPA, Chemical exposure, Chemical regulation, Contamination, Environmental justice, Frontline communities, Health policy, Industry influence, Phthalates, Risk assessment, TSCA, Vulnerable populations / Authors: , / Leave a comment

New report finds endocrine disrupting chemical in more than one-third of tested Indian clothing products

What’s new: A new report has found the cancer-linked endocrine disruptor, nonylphenol (NP), in one-third of tested Indian clothing products at levels exceeding European Union (EU) safety standards.

Scientists also detected NP in major Indian rivers downstream from textile hubs at levels that significantly exceeded international water quality standards. The report, Toxic Threads, was published by the Indian environmental research and advocacy organization Toxics Link in partnership with Environmental Defense Fund.

Common industrial applications of nonylphenol chemical

Common industrial applications of nonylphenol chemical (Toxics Link)

What is NP and where does it come from? NP is a chemical byproduct of degrading nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs), which manufacturers across several sectors use as a base ingredient in detergents, wetting agents, dispersants, defoamers, de-inkers and antistatic agents. Textile producers use NPEs most commonly in cleaning agents.

The Toxic Threads report’s key findings include:

  • NP was detected in 15 of the 40 products examined (about 35%).
  • NP levels in 13 out of the 40 products exceeded the current EU limit (<100 mg/kg).
  • 60% (9 out of 15) of baby and children’s products contained NP.
  • Female innerwear made with hosiery had the highest NP concentration of all garment types.
  • Significant NP contamination was found in several rivers near key Indian textile hubs.
  • NP’s presence in downstream locations and absence upstream strongly suggests point-source pollution from industrial activities, particularly textile manufacturing.

Why it matters: NP is an endocrine disruptor and has been linked to cancer. People, particularly children, can be exposed to it through everyday products they touch or might put in their mouths. NP’s persistence (how long it lasts), toxicity and ability to build up in the body over time makes it a significant threat to human health, the environment, marine ecosystems and the food chain. Because many textiles produced in India are exported, the associated health risks could extend to consumers in importing countries that don’t regulate NP in clothing, such as the United States.

Nonylphenol's path to waterways, marine ecosystems and the human body

Nonylphenol’s path to waterways, marine ecosystems and the human body (Toxics Link)

How can India protect its people and aquatic life from the dangers of NP? While several countries have taken proactive measures, India has yet to fully regulate against the harms of NP and NPE contamination.

The report recommends Indian leaders take decisive action to align with global efforts in restricting NP and NPE use. Strengthening regulations and promoting safer alternatives in textile manufacturing and consumer products are key to safeguarding human and environmental health and ensuring sustainable market practices.

Go deeper: Read the full Toxic Threads report here.

Also posted in Carcinogenic, Chemical regulation, Cumulative impact, Endocrine disruptors, Environmental justice, General interest, Health policy, Health science, Public health, Worker safety / Authors: / Comments are closed

Cumulative assessment better estimates the real-world risks chemicals pose on our health

NOTE: This is the second of a series about EPA’s prioritization of existing chemicals. 

What Happened? 

EPA just proposed to designate five chemicals, including the widely-known toxic chemical vinyl chloride, as high-priority chemicals – meaning they are toxic to human and/or environmental health.  If finalized, these chemicals will immediately undergo the risk evaluation process under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).  

When designating these chemicals as high priority and moving forward in assessing their health risks, EPA can – and should – consider exposures to multiple chemicals that can cause the same health harms. To demonstrate the importance of these cumulative exposures, we conducted analysis on co-exposures to these five chemicals and submitted this analysis to EPA for greater consideration of real-world risks faced by individuals exposed to these toxic chemicals.  

Why It Matters 

Communities near industrial facilities are often exposed to multiple chemicals that cause the same health effects. Evaluating the health risk of these chemicals individually, as currently done by EPA’s TSCA program, often underestimates the true risks communities face. Additionally, many of these fenceline communities experience a variety of non-chemical stressors that exacerbate health effects from chemical exposure, such as physiological stress from poverty and racial discrimination, limited access to healthcare, or health effects from climate stressors like flooding and heat. Failing to consider these cumulative stressors on health in chemical risk evaluations often underestimates the actual risks these chemicals can pose to human health.  

Our Take 

Our analysis of Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data from 2016-2021 shows that many chemicals that cause the same health effects – such as cancer, central nervous system (neurological), cardiorespiratory, liver, kidney, and thyroid, and reproductive and developmental effects – are often released together from the same facilities. For example, chemicals that cause cardiorespiratory effects are released with at least one other chemical that causes these same effects 74% of the time.  

For the five chemicals that have just been proposed as high priority under TSCA, all are known or probable carcinogens with some causing other adverse health effects. Based on our analysis, there are a few notable co-releases that EPA should consider when assessing cumulative risk with other chemicals causing the same harms. For example, creosotes, which are also probable carcinogens that can cause liver, kidney, and thyroid effects, are released 11% of the time with acrylonitrile, 18% with aniline, 11% with vinyl chloride, and 11% with 4,4-methylene bis(2-chloroaniline). 

Screenshot - Heatmap of co-releases of carcinogenic chemicals that are part of the TSCA Workplan.

Heatmap of co-releases of carcinogenic chemicals that are part of the TSCA Workplan. Legend represents the percentage of facilities releasing both chemicals out of the facilities releasing at least one of the pair of chemicals. Stars represent the 15 chemicals that were considered as part of TSCA’s pre-prioritization.

To demonstrate that EPA should also consider non-chemical stressors such as climate and environmental justice in its TSCA prioritization and risk evaluations, we looked at the vulnerability of communities to climate and environmental justice factors in areas where certain chemicals are released using EDF’s Climate Vulnerability Index. On average, vinyl chloride is released into communities with higher vulnerability than other chemicals analyzed – up to 12% higher than the average for other carcinogenic chemicals.  

What’s Next? 

EPA is now accepting comments on their proposal to designate these five chemicals as high priority, and we plan to submit comments to support the high priority designation. If finalized, EPA will begin risk evaluations for these chemicals. We hope EPA will consider cumulative risk and environmental justice as it moves through this process.   

In our next post in this series, we will recommend ways EPA can improve its prioritization process by considering risks from transportation and distribution of chemicals. 

Also posted in Chemical exposure, Chemical regulation, Cumulative impact, Cumulative risk assessment, Environmental justice, Health policy, Public health, Regulation, Risk assessment, Risk evaluation, Rules/Regulations, TSCA, TSCA reform, Vulnerable populations / Authors: / Comments are closed

Unveiling EDF’s Chemical Exposure Action Map

U.S. map showing chemical facilities across the nationWhat’s New

Today, we are excited to introduce the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) latest initiative—the Chemical Exposure Action Map. This tool is designed to spur the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to transform the assessment of risks posed by toxic chemicals in our communities.

Our map focuses on multiple high-priority chemicals—making visible the urgent and long-overdue need to assess the risks of chemicals together as they exist in the real-world. Unlike many current methods that look at risks one chemical at a time, our map offers a comprehensive view, highlighting the potential for cumulative risks from multiple high-priority chemicals.

Why It Matters

In a world where industrial facilities expose communities to multiple harmful chemicals daily, many have long called for a cumulative approach to assessing the risks from these chemicals. It is crucial that we wait no longer to reassess how we evaluate the health risks they pose.

Pregnant Latine woman gazing lovingly at young daughter who is hugging her belly.

Read More »

Also posted in Carcinogenic, Chemical exposure, Chemical regulation, Cumulative impact, Cumulative risk assessment, Developmental toxicity, Health hazards, Health policy, Public health, Regulation, Risk assessment, Risk evaluation, TSCA, Vulnerable populations / Tagged , , , , , , | Authors: , / Comments are closed

Why are four notorious carcinogens approved by FDA for food?

By Liora Fiksel, Project Manager, Healthy Communities, and Lisa Lefferts, Environmental Health Consultant

Pregnant woman rests a cup of coffee on her belly.

While exposure data are scant, people who are choosing decaf coffee during pregnancy or for other health reasons may not realize that some popular brands contain methylene chloride.

What’s Happening?

On December 21, 2023, FDA filed a food-additive petition and a color-additive petition submitted by EDF and partners that asks FDA to revoke its approval for four carcinogenic chemicals approved for use in food.

There is broad agreement that benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE), methylene chloride, and ethylene dichloride are carcinogenic,1 and federal law2 is clear: additives that cause cancer in humans or animals are not considered “safe.” All the chemicals have been identified as causing cancer in humans or animals since the 1970s and 1980s.3 Read More »

Also posted in Carcinogenic, Chemical exposure, Chemical regulation, FDA, Food, Health hazards, Public health, Vulnerable populations / Tagged , , , , , , | Authors: / Read 9 Responses

FDA’s latest study reaffirms short-chain PFAS biopersist. Now it must act.

By Maricel Maffini, PhD, Consultant, and Tom Neltner, JD

Female rat nursing multiple pups

FDA study found biopersistent PFAS in female rats and their pups,

What Happened

In December 2023, FDA’s scientists published a new study showing that when pregnant rats ingest a form of per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substance (PFAS) called 6:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (6:2 FTOH) their bodies break it down into other PFAS that reach the fetuses and biopersist in the mother and the pups.

The study also showed that the body of a non-pregnant animal produces different breakdown products that also biopersist. This study is the latest evidence that the assumptions made about the safety of short-chain PFAS (chemicals with fewer than 8 carbons) have been wrong. Read More »

Also posted in Chemical regulation, Emerging science, FDA, Health science, Industry influence, Public health, Rules/Regulations, Vulnerable populations / Tagged , , , , , , , , | Authors: / Comments are closed