Paul Anastis and John Warner developed Green Chemistry Principals more than thirty years ago to try to shift manufacturing away from chemicals that are PBTs – persistent, bioaccumulative, and/or toxic. Following these principles would result in less production of chemicals that resist degradation, accumulate in tissues of plants, animals, and humans, and/or cause disease and death. If a chemical had these problematic properties, another chemical should be chosen to replace it. And it certainly should not be made in mass quantities or added to consumer products, which might increase the risk of health issues like cancer, neurological damage, or reproductive impairment. These principals include discouraging discharge of toxic waste, which we are then exposed to through environmental contamination of our air, water, and land.

I’ve offered suggestions in my blogs over the years for choices you can make to reduce exposure to some toxic chemicals, whether they’re used in manufacturing, added intentionally to products, or a contaminant from environmental pollution. However, it’s virtually impossible to avoid exposure to all of them because companies keep producing problematic chemicals, tons of them.

There is some progress toward safer chemicals and products, but that progress has come primarily because of public pressure. Though U.S. regulators at times come through on banning problematic chemicals, they are often pressured by politicians and corporate entities to allow their production and use, thus increasing our exposure to toxic substances. European regulators have done a much better job resisting that pressure and have banned far more problematic chemicals than the EPA, FDA, or USDA.

So, what can we do to stem the production of PBTs and make our world safer? As I mentioned above, public pressure is key to pushing back against the chemical industry’s influence on regulators and to “inspire” them to shift toward safer chemicals and products. Here are several steps you can take:

• Follow nonprofit/activist groups that fight to keep toxic chemicals out of commerce and answer their calls for action. Some of my favorites are the Environmental Working Group (EWG), Silent Spring Institute, Beyond Plastics, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
• Contact your local, state and national legislators to support or oppose relevant bills or about toxic discharges from facilities near you.
• Submit a comment to federal agencies about a proposed or changing rule. For example, you can learn about commenting on EPA rules at this link.
• Contact companies directly with requests to remove problematic chemicals from their products.
  • Buy safer products to “inspire” companies to produce more of them and less of the toxic versions. The EWG is an excellent resource for finding safer products.
• Contact university chemistry departments to ask that they include Green Chemistry principles in curricula for their students and that they promote a principle of “first do no harm” with their chemical inventions, like the vow doctors take for their profession.

I realize it can feel overwhelming at times trying to avoid toxic chemicals. Make sure you’re taking care to tackle this issue in a way that’s healthy for you. For example, I published this post on a less stressful approach to this issue focused on food.

For more information, you may follow me on social media (LaurelJStandley on Bluesky, Threads, and Instagram)

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