Tackling Toxics For Healthier Products People Planet Arlene

Tackling Toxics: For Healthier Products, People & Planet Arlene Blum Ph. D Research Associate in Chemistry, UC Berkeley Executive Director, Green Science Policy Institute February 2018

Education Research Policy & Purchasing Change Retreats

Six Classes Videos An innovative approach to reducing toxics VIEW and SHARE: www. Six. Classes. org Healthier products, healthier people in four minutes!

Is it necessary? Is it worth it? Is there a safer alternative? GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org

Highly Fluorinated Chemicals (PFAS) (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) • All are highly persistent • or degrade to persistent end-products • Long-chains are bioaccumulative • in wildlife, in human serum • PFOA and PFOS are toxic • • • Cancer (kidney and testicular) liver disease immune system effects thyroid disease developmental effects PFOA PFOS

Is C 6 an improvement over PFOA and PFOS? C 6 is called the “environmentally friendly” alternative Decabromodiphenyl ethane Concerns: • Extreme persistence • Bioaccumulation • Toxicity GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org Concerns: • Extreme persistence • Bioaccumulation in plants • Suspected toxicity • More mobile • Remediation more difficult 16

Published 2007 2017 Watershed Tracy K. Smith US Poet Laureatte 200 cows more than 600 hilly acres property would have been even larger had J not sold 66 acres to Du. Pont for waste from its Washington Works factory where J was employed did not want to sell but needed money poor health mysterious ailments

Law: Claims in the Ohio Valley (The Teflon Toxin Goes to Court, Sharon Lerner, The Intercept) September 2015: 3, 500 personal injury and 37 wrongful death claims in Ohio Valley against Du. Pont went to trial February 2017: $671 million to settle claims February 8, 2018: Ohio Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Du. Pont for Releasing Toxic Chemical into Ohio for Decades

“ 3 M, in pursuit of profit, deliberately disregarded the substantial risk of injury to the people and environment of Minnesota from its continued manufacture of PFCs and its improper disposal. ” – Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org

EPA Lifetime Health Advisory Level of 70 ng/L PFOA + PFOS From Cindy Hu et al, 2015 Hu et al. , Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2016 8

Drinking Water Health Advisory Levels Du. Pont PFOA: 5000 ppt Du. Pont PFOA: 1000 U. S. EPA PFOA: 400 U. S. EPA PFOS: 200 PFOA & New PFOS: 70 Jersey Michigan PFOA: 14 PFOS: 5 1 7 8 9 19 2 9 0 0 7 17 1 0 20 2 2 . ay ov. ec M N D 6 1 0 6

Highly Fluorinated Hush Puppies • Wolverine used Scotchguard (PFOS) used for leather treatment 1950 s – 2000 • Leather scrap dumped • Sludge applied to fields • 2017: discovery of drinking water contamination • PFOA + PFOS level up to 58, 000 ppt ( 842 times EPA health advisory level) • Replacement chemical (PFBS) also in drinking water 15

PFAS occurrence widespread • Percent of water systems with detectable PFOA: • Official EPA estimate: 1% • Estimate from testing lab: up to 24% GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org Courtesy of Andy Eaton Ph. D, Eurofins Eaton Analytical

Fluorine in U. S. fast food packaging paper (percent positive; 400 products sampled) Adopted from Schaider L. 2016 Fluorinated compounds in U. S. fast food packaging. Should these products be considered compostable? 14

PFAS in Disposable Food Service Ware http: //www. ceh. org/disposablefoodware

Policy: New York • New York State single use food containers & packaging ". . . products purchased …on State contracts shall not contain perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs). . . "

Washington State’s Healthy Food Packaging Act - HB 2658/SB 6396 Bans paper food packaging containing any PFAS https: //toxicfreefuture. org/key-issues/legislative-priorities-2018/

Policy: Federal GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org

Recommendations Monthly Hill Webinars 1. Change the MILSpec to maintain fire safety and permit the use of fluorine free foams. 2. Further monitoring for PFAS in drinking water 3. Develop enforceable health levels for PFOA, PFOS and others. 4. Coordinate response plan and health studies in impacted communities. 5. Reevaluate Gen. X GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org

Washington State’s Ban on PFAS in Firefighting Foam (HB 2793/SB 6413) • Bans sale of PFAS-containing class B firefighting foam beginning July 1, 2020 except for uses required by federal law. • Bans the discharge of PFAS-containing foam for training beginning July 1, 2018. • Requires manufacturers of firefighting gear that contains any PFAS to notify purchasers. More info https: //toxicfreefuture. org/key-issues/legislative-priorities-2018/

30 January 2018 South Australia Environment Protection Policy Bans use of all fluorinated firefighting foams for all applications;

MILSpec Amendment September 2017 • New note added: • “…The Do. D's goal is to acquire and use a non-fluorinated AFFF formulation or equivalent firefighting agent to meet the performance requirements for Do. D critical firefighting needs. The Do. D is funding research to this end, but a viable solution may not be found for several years. In the short term, the Do. D intends to acquire and use AFFF with the lowest demonstrable concentrations of two particular per- and PFAS; specifically PFOS and PFOA. The Do. D intends to be open and transparent with Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state regulators, and the public at large regarding Do. D efforts to address these matters…” • Problematic language remains : • “… Concentrates shall consist of fluorocarbon surfactants plus other compounds…”

Recommendation 5 Reevaluate Gen. X • Used as a substitute for PFOA in manufacture of Teflon • Detected in Wilmington, North Carolina drinking water • NC DEQ legal action against Chemours/Du. Pont – Chemours to cease emissions of all fluorochemicals to Cape Fear River • Du. Pont reported to EPA (2006 -2013): cancer of the liver, pancreas, & testicles, kidney disease, liver degeneration, & uterine polyps in animal studies. (Lerner, The Intercept) A Never Ending Story of PFASs Wang, et al. ES&T 2017. © 2017 ACS 30

National Defense Authorization Act • Section 316: CDC Study on Health Implications of PFAS Contamination in Drinking Water • $7 to begin a 5 -year study • “cumulative human health implications of multiple types of PFAS…at levels above and below health advisory levels. ” • exposure assessment for PFAS at no fewer than eight military sites • CDC to consult with NIEHS on study design GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org

Class 3—Flame Retardants Depend on Flammability Standards • Children’s sleepwear -- 1976 • Furniture and baby product foam -- 2014 • Foam building insulation -- 2019? GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE Green. Science. Policy. org

Technical Bulletin 117 – Required furniture foam to withstand a small open flame for 12 seconds – No significant fire safety benefit (fires start in exterior fabric not filling) GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE Green. Science. Policy. org

Furniture foam flame retardant (Penta. BDE) associations with human health problems Increased time to pregnancy Altered thyroid hormone Thyroid disease in women Main et al. 2007; Goodyer et al 2017; Eskenazi et al. , 2010, 2011, 2012; Herbstman et al. 2010; Makey et al. 2016; Windham et al. 2015; Harley et al. 2017; Allen et al. 2016 Developmental toxicity Baby boys’ genital problems Lower birth weight Impaired attention Poorer coordination Lower IQ Delayed puberty in girls Earlier puberty in boys

U. S. Thyroid cancer incidence and mortality: 1975 - 2014 SEER 9 Incidence & U. S. Mortality 1975 -2014, All Races, Both Sexes. Rates are Age-Adjusted. Elevated risks of thyroid cancer linked to exposure to : • Tris (142% increase) • Deca. BDE (129% increase). (Hoffman et al. Environ Int Oct 2017)

Flame retardants increase smoke toxicity more than they reduce fire growth Flame retardants delay, but don’t prevent foam from burning Then, flame retardants can increase. . • Soot and Smoke • Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen Cyanide • Dioxins and Furans GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE Green. Science. Policy. org Hull 2017; Bocchini 2009; Mennear 1994

Google Pulitzer Prize Finalist Goldsmith Prize Investigative Reporting Environmental Journalists Society Environmental Reporting Gerald Loeb Award Business and Financial Journalism National Press Club Consumer Award 30

California Flammability Standard TB 117 -2013 Mandatory January 1, 2015 Flame retardants not needed, but can still be used Product Labels Required GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org www. bearhfti. ca. gov/about_us/sb_1019_faq. pdf

PETITION HP 15 -1 to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Regarding Products Containing Organohalogen FRs 7 1 0 2 r tembe ep S 0 2 ED – T N A R G Declare as “banned hazardous substances” any: • Children’s products • Residential furniture • Mattresses & mattress pads • Plastic electronics enclosures containing additive, non-polymeric organohalogen FRs GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org

SF bans the sale of furniture and children’s products containing flame retardants In October 2017, San Francisco passed an ordinance prohibiting the sale of: – upholstered furniture and children’s products, such as high chairs, strollers, and nursing pillows, containing flame retardants. – includes on-line sales

NFPA 277 would reintroduce an open-flame standard in residential upholstered furniture • A new furniture flammability test is not needed. • NFPA 277 would not significantly improve fire safety, but would harm our health and environment. • NFPA process lacked transparency & was industry dominated. • Next meeting: March 2018 GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE Green. Science. Policy. org If passed, NFPA 277 could bring toxic & unneeded flame retardants back into US furniture!

Building codes drive use of FRs in insulation

Assembly Bill 127 (2013): Safer Building Insulation • State fire marshal may propose updates that: – Maintain overall fire safety – Provide flexibility in meeting fire safety standards with or without chemical flame retardants • Implementation: – Working Group (ended summer 2015) – Testing & analysis at Oklahoma State University Assembly Bill 127 (Skinner, 2013) GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE www. Green. Science. Policy. org http: //osfm. fire. ca. gov/codedevelopment/wgfsbim. php

Green Science Policy Communications Strategy • Select research topic to support policy in public interest. • Collaborate with authors from multiple institutions. • After the paper is accepted, select a date for maximum impact for the paper to go on line (2 -4 weeks later). • Compose release in accessible language with a “hook”. • Query journalists & then share release & paper. • Educate journalists on the science & establish relationships. • Hope it is not a big news day! A Never Ending Story of PFASs Wang, et al. ES&T 2017, © 2017 ACS

Communications strategy for peer -reviewed articles can increase media coverage and downloads. Study Scientists’ letter on PFAS in drinking water Florence Statement on antimicrobials Highly fluorinated chemicals in fast food Altmetric Score* Journal Year Downloads* Env. Health 2017 2, 356 447 EHP 2017 --- 393 ES&T Letters 2017 10, 524 890 Highly fluorinated chemicals in U. S. drinking water ES&T Letters 2016 26, 622 1, 294 Flame retardants in baby products ES&T 2011 20, 672 62 #3 for ES&T Letters #2 for ES&T Letters * As of Nov. 30, 2017

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By limiting use of the Six Classes We can have a healthier world. For more information: Green. Science. Policy. org GREEN SCIENCE POLICY INSTITUTE greensciencepolicy. org