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The campaign to ban toxic flame retardants in Massachusetts started in January 2013 when Senator Cynthia Stone Creem filed the first version of the bill to ban toxic flame retardants. We knew we needed a strong coalition for it to become law. So when environmental groups and firefighter unions across the country were teaming up to co-host local “Give Toxics the Boot”events in early 2014, we signed up. The events included press conferences with firefighters’ boots lined up on statehouse steps to represent those who died “with their boots off”—from occupational illness—and a

I’ve learned a lot about the dangers of exposure to toxic chemicals through flame retardants at Clean Water Action. They’re everywhere in our homes: in mattresses, furniture, even children’s toys.

This is a really important issue to be aware of, but there is a real lack of awareness amongst my fellow college students.

My school, Simmons University, offers a “Toxic Consumables” course as an elective to first-year students. The class covers everyday exposure to toxic chemicals through consumer and personal care products. It also addresses how exposure to toxic chemicals through personal care

One piece of this puzzle, however, is crystal clear: the root cause of this problem is the manufacturing and promotion of PFAS by the chemical industry, even though internal documents reveal they knew about its toxicity for decades.