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The Sierra Club's Toxics Program is devoted to protecting public health and the environment by reducing exposure to hazardous substances through advocacy, education, regulation and legal efforts.
Program Overview
Toxic chemical pollution threatens every American family and every community. In 2007 alone, more than 835 million pounds of cancer-causing chemicals were released into our air and water. Reducing exposure to hazardous substances protects families and wildlife and improves our water quality and neighborhoods.
The Sierra Club aims to achieve the following goals:
- Reduce toxic chemicals in consumer products;
- Reduce exposure to toxics where we work, live and play;
- Educate consumers about the potential risks of hazardous substances such as endocrine disruptors, formaldehyde, lead, mercury, and other persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs)
- Help return the United States as a leader in work related to protecting the public from toxics; and
- Reform the international and national systems of regulating toxics in commerce.
New Legislation Introduced to Protect Americans from Formaldehyde
The Sierra Club's work in the Gulf Coast region after Hurricane Katrina and Rita made us all aware of the problems posed by formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products. New legislation would create strong standards for formaldehyde from composite wood products.
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