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 Media Center > News Releases
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday October 31, 2006
CONTACT:
Mike Schade, CHEJ, 212-964-3680
Environmental Group Reacts to Wal-Mart’s
Safer Chemicals Announcement
Washington, D.C. – Lois Gibbs, Executive Director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice issued the following statement in response to Wal-Mart’s new safer chemicals initiative outlining a set of preferred chemical characteristics for product ingredients.
“We welcome Wal-Mart’s efforts to phase out highly hazardous chemicals in consumer products, however urge Wal-Mart to expand the list of priority chemicals to include PVC, set concrete timeframes and benchmarks, and recognize that sustainability must include workers’ benefits and wages both domestically and throughout the supply chain. Without concrete benchmarks, any initiative is toothless. Through this effort, Wal-Mart should phase out PVC, the poison plastic, and switch to readily-available, safe alternatives, as other retailers and companies have done. PVC products sold by Wal-Mart, such as shower curtains and children’s toys, are dangerous to our health and environment releasing dangerous chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects, and immune system disorders. PVC plastic meets virtually all of the criteria of Wal-Mart’s new “Preferred Chemicals Principles”, releasing chemicals that have been identified as known, likely, or probable human carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, and persistent bioaccumulative toxic chemicals (PBTs).
Wal-Mart has already begun to phase out PVC in packaging and children’s lunchboxes. Last October, in response to health and environmental concerns, Wal-Mart announced plans to phase out PVC plastic in private label packaging over the next 2 years. This summer, Wal-Mart announced plans to stop selling PVC lined lunchboxes. We need further action from Wal-Mart to phase out the poison plastic to insure that our children are growing up healthy and free from exposure to dangerous toxic chemicals”
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ATTN JOURNALISTS: Background materials on PVC hazards is available by visiting www.pvcfree.org
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