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In March 2017, Boston Magazine published Why Cancer is Killing Boston’s Firefighters--a powerful article about two Boston firefighters, Glenn Preston and Peter Kannler and their battles with cancer. Both men were diagnosed in their mid-30’s; Preston was still fighting but Kannler had lost the battle. The article pointed to toxic chemicals as a culprit and specifically brought to light the issue of toxic flame retardants in common household items contributing to cancer, and other adverse health effects for firefighters like Glenn and Peter.

One year later, even more firefighters have been

Of course all parents want to do what’s best for the well-being and safety of their children and family, so it’s a big concern that manufacturers still aren’t transparent about the chemicals used in their products. It seems like finding baby products that you know are toxic-free is nearly impossible.

The lack of disclosure by manufacturers often forces parents to make decisions about the products they purchase with virtually no information about the chemicals they contain. For example, two similar items on a store shelf could be from two polar opposite ends of the safety spectrum — but how can

Marley Kimmelman is an Environmental Health and Justice Intern with our Massachusetts office

The last time you heard from me I was just beginning my internship with Clean Water Action. That was 5 months ago.

Even before stepping foot in to the Clean Water Action office in downtown Boston I had already gotten involved in the fight to phase out flame retardants when I testified at a city council hearing as a concerned college student. The public pressure paid off, and the city council voted in March to update our fire code to match the rest of the state. This allows schools, universities