By simply permitting and disclosing oil extraction and chemical use in our communities, California will be facilitating and expanding our fossil fuel status quo. Responsible policy would be to stop this harmful and reckless activity by banning fracking and other non-conventional oil extraction because—from a health perspective–the facts demand it.
You may have heard a lot about Proposition 37 lately — the measure to label genetically engineered (GE) foods California. Monsanto and other pesticide and agribusiness giants have injected $36 million to wage a deceptive ad campaign that is inundating our TV, radio, and internet.
As an organization of health professionals and advocates for social justice, we look to the precautionary principle when analyzing public health policies. That’s why we’re encouraging our members to vote YES on Proposition 37, the Right to Know initiative to label food genetically engineered (GE) foods. We have a right to know what’s in our food.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) introduced a bill in February 2012 that would cut $100 billion dollars from nuclear weapons programs over the next 10 years. Check here to see if your representative has co-sponored the SANE act, and if not, urge them to do so!
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for an America “built to last” and relying on clean energy. He spoke powerfully against oil subsidies that have propped up that industry for a century. Yet he has consistently supported federal loan guarantees for the nuclear industry.
Call your Senator today and make sure SB 797 reaches the Governor’s desk! This week, the California legislature plans to wrap up its legislative session and make many decisions about the services, priorities, and the budget of our state. Amongst the very tough decisions, sending a bill to protect infants and toddlers from exposure to a toxic chemical — a measure already passed by both the houses but pending one procedural vote in the Senate — should NOT be considered a tough decision. SB 797(Pavley) would prohibit the synthetic estrogen, bisphenol-A (BPA) in baby bottles, sippy cups, food and formula containers meant for children 3 and younger.
PSR-LA is a co-sponsor of AB 1963 (Nava), The Farmworker Health Act, which would provide a much needed fix to the 1974 Cholinesterase Medical Supervision Program. The program is supposed to monitor and protect farmworkers from pesticide poisoning but does NOT currently work.
Methyl iodide is so dangerous that it is used to create cancer in laboratories and over 50 scientists across the country – 5 of them Nobel Laureates – sent a letter to the EPA expressing astonishment that the agency was “working to legalize broadcast releases of one of the more toxic chemicals used in manufacturing into the environment.”
Bad actor chemicals negatively affect our health every day. Hundreds of case studies have shown the consequential health impacts of Bad Actor chemicals in our consumer goods. Take action to retire these bad actors through California’s Green Chemistry Initiative and federal TSCA reform.
Methyl Iodide would seriously threaten the health of farmworkers and rural communities, and could contaminate California’s groundwater. The agrochemical industry is pushing hard to use methyl iodide. Make sure your voice is heard!
