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Sinister partners: transatlantic trade agreement & toxic chemicals
Sinister partners: transatlantic trade agreement & toxic chemicals

Chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world–the very nature of life.  – Rachel Carson. On July 8, in Washington, D.C., trade negotiators from the United States and the European Union are expected to open the first round of talks for a Trans Atlantic free trade agreement (TAFTA) or as it is formally known, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).  The United States…

Test summary: Potentially toxic titanium dioxide in sunscreen and cosmetics

Friends of the Earth has released new testing results from the Australian Government’s National Measurement Institute , which has found that many popular sunscreen and cosmetic products are using potentially hazardous forms of a common ingredient -- anatase titanium dioxide and nano anatase titanium dioxide. Six of the eight products tested, including well-known brands such as Nivea (Beiersdorf AG (BEIG.DE)), L'Oreal SA (OREP.PA), and CoverGirl (Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG)), were found to contain…

The TPP trade agreement regulatory coherence chapter is an environmental hazard
The TPP trade agreement regulatory coherence chapter is an environmental hazard

“Cost-benefit calculation is the highest art form in the realm of persuasion by information — and the most deceitful…In essence, property rights (and profit) are being assigned a higher value than human rights. Human lives are discounted, quite literally, by government economists…” William Greider, Who Will Tell the People?     The Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement Ron Kirk, the U.S. Trade Representative, is seeking to negotiate a Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement

Are nanoparticles unknowingly part of your Memorial Day plans?
Are nanoparticles unknowingly part of your Memorial Day plans?

This begs a further question: what happens when nanoparticles are released into the environment, and how will they be recycled? Nano-silver has been shown to be toxic to fish and other organisms in soil and water.

Bioeconomy Blueprint or biotechnology boost?
Bioeconomy Blueprint or biotechnology boost?

Yesterday morning the White House released its National Bioeconomy Blueprint  which “outlines steps that agencies will take to drive the bioeconomy—economic activity powered by research and innovation in the biosciences—and details ongoing efforts across the Federal government to realize this goal.”

Unfortunately, this new bioeconomy is not as green as the Obama administration is making it out to be. The so-called bioeconomy is dependent primarily on the risky, unregulated field of synthetic biology

Building a better world at the Thematic Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil
Building a better world at the Thematic Social Forum in Porto Alegre, Brazil

I had the privilege of participating in the Thematic Social Forum this past week in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Porto Alegre was where the very first World Social Forum took place back in 2001. The difference between the World Social Forum and Thematic Social Forum is not much, just another shade of the same color. There are many meetings throughout the year that feed into the World Social Forum process, and these take place…

Nanomaterials used freely in consumer products under FDAs watch
Nanomaterials used freely in consumer products under FDAs watch

In 2006, Friends of the Earth released a groundbreaking report, “Nanomaterials, Sunscreens and Cosmetics: Small Ingredients, Big Risks.” Since then, we’ve released updated reports every year, sharing more and more about these alarming risks, which could affect consumers, workers, and the environment.

Nano-silver and bacterial resistance
Nano-silver and bacterial resistance

For almost 100 years, we have waged a war on bacteria.

In a new report by Friends of the Earth, we argue that this war, far from making people safer, may have a harmful impact on people’s health.  In order to stave off these microscopic ‘enemies,’ we continue to need stronger and stronger weapons. As the bacteria have found ways to resist the effects of one antimicrobial weapon, we’ve been forced to find another.