Earthjustice Fights to Protect From Toxicity

Environmental Legal Non-Profit Litigates for Ingredients on Labels

Mar 12, 2009 Pamela Palmer

Earthjustice, an Environmental Law, Public Policy, Non-profit organization seeks to defend the Earth, and the right of human beings to a clean environment from toxicity.

Earthjustice forges ahead to fight for "protecting the magnificent places, natural resources, and wildlife of this earth, and [for] defending the right of all people to a healthy environment." They wage this war on multiple fronts including each of these major issues: Global Warming, Air, Forests, Health & Communities, International (Environment), Oceans, Public Lands, Water, and Wildlife.

According to their website, "Earthjustice uses federal and state environmental laws to protect the environment by taking government agencies to court for failing to enforce our nation's environmental laws, and corporations for breaking them."

The litigation related to each issue is full of complexity dealing with domestic trade practices which often bend or break laws already passed, versus their effects on human and wildlife populations.

From the Sierras to the World

Headquartered in Oakland, California, Earthjustice has nine regional offices from Alaska to Washington DC to Hawaii, employing over 150 people. Founded as the Seirra Legal Defense Fund, they changed their name in 1997 to Earthjustice, to better reflect their role as a legal advocate for the environment, as their tagline says: "The Earth needs a good lawyer."

Earthjustice has provided legal representation -- at no cost -- to more than 600 clients, ranging from large national groups such as The Wilderness Society and the National Audubon Society, to smaller state and community coalitions, such as the Alaska Center for the Environment and the Friends of the Everglades, and into the international community.

The Fight for Transparency on Household Cleaners' Labels

In a press release on February 17, 2009, Earthjustice announced that for a "fight for transparency and accountability, health and environmental advocates took manufacturers Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Church and Dwight, and Reckitt-Benckiser to court today."

This litigation is based on a forgotten law on the books in the State of New York and eventually could have nationwide effects. The chemical disclosure on soaps and household cleaners could protect consumers from unwittingly using toxic chemicals as they clean, in a similar way that food and drink containers, now, are required to list ingredients.

This past Fall, environmental and public health advocates sent letters to more than a dozen companies asking them to comply with the law. The companies targeted in this lawsuit each ignored or refused this request. Only a few voluntarily compiled, filing transparent reports listing the ingredients to their household cleaners. One such company in voluntary compliance is the manufacturer of Simple Green products.

80,000 Chemicals Registered; Most Risks to Health, Unknown

According to the United States Department of Health and Humans Services' National Toxicology Program, or NTP, there are "more than 80,000 chemicals...registered for use in the United States. Each year, an estimated 2,000 new ones are introduced for use in such everyday items as foods, personal care products, prescription drugs, household cleaners, and lawn care products."

The NTP seeks to safeguard the public from any risk to health that these chemicals might pose, identifying both what the effects of these chemicals are and at what levels of exposure they may become hazardous to humans. They state themselves, "we do not know the effects of many of these chemicals on our health." and conversely, "relatively few chemicals are thought to pose a significant risk to human health."

Many household cleaners state that their ingredients are "proprietary", referring to their patented formula, keeping consumers "in the dark" as to what exactly is in the product that they are using. The toxic effect on the health of people and in the environment is largely unknown! Earthjustice is fighting this court case to put an end to that injustice towards people, animals and the Earth itself.

The copyright of the article Earthjustice Fights to Protect From Toxicity in Green/Simple Living is owned by Pamela Palmer. Permission to republish Earthjustice Fights to Protect From Toxicity in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Natural Cosmetic Line

Natural Cosmetic Line

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