Center for Environmental Health

On March 27, the Center for Environmental Health’s longtime attorney Eric Somers tragically passed away in a skiing accident in Alaska. He was 63 years old. CEH has held a nearly 30-year partnership with Eric’s firm, the Lexington Law Group (LLG) that continues to this day. Over the course of the last few decades, LLG has represented CEH in hundreds of its legal actions to enforce California’s consumer health and safety law, Proposition 65.

Contact: Emily DiFrisco, [email protected] OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA– Today, the nonprofit watchdog the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) announced the completion of its enforcement against companies that failed to report chemical imports to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in violation of federal chemical safety law.

We found the following SPF products contained levels of benzophenone that exceeded the threshold and should be avoided until further notice: 1. Biore UV Weightless Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen 2. Mario Badescu Oil Free Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen 3. Chanel UV Essential Protection Globale Complete UV Protection Sunscreen 4. Sun Bum Daily Body Sunscreen Moisturizing Lotion 5. Sol de Janeiro Rio Radiance SPF 50 Body Oil 6.

It was only three years ago that train cars containing more than 100,000 gallons of vinyl chloride and PVC plastic derailed and were subsequently burned, setting off a major environmental health disaster that contaminated East Palestine, Ohio. Three years later, residents are still getting sick from toxic fallout related to the derailment.

Walk down almost any city street, beach, or park, and you’ll see them: cigarette butts scattered along the curb, tucked into sidewalk cracks, or washed up along shorelines — 4.5 trillion of them. They’re now so common they’ve become nearly invisible. But that ubiquity masks a growing environmental crisis—one that has only intensified as nicotine products evolve. For decades, cigarette butts have been the most littered item in the world.

An explosion and fire at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur, Texas sent smoke plumes billowing into the sky on Tuesday, March 24. Police ordered several nearby neighborhoods to shelter-in-place. Thankfully, no one was killed this time.

Contact: Emily DiFrisco, [email protected] SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – Today California’s Senate Health Committee approved Senate Bill 1033, authored by Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) and sponsored by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH), Environmental Working Group, and Consumer Reports. The bill aims to protect consumers by requiring testing and disclosure of heavy metals in protein products sold in California.

Are Toxic Chemicals Lurking In Your St. Patrick’s Day Meal? Mar 17, 2026 When you sit down to enjoy your St. Patrick’s Day meal of corned beef and cabbage, the last thing you should have to think about is, “Am I feeding a toxic chemical to my family?” We hope that by next St. Patrick’s Day, this won’t have to be a question that crosses your mind. But right now, it should be.

Today, the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) sent legal notices to Ross and TJ Maxx after our recent testing found high levels of lead and cadmium in clothing embellishments from the following brands: Orange Kiss (lead and cadmium), Joie (lead and cadmium), and Lizette Collection (lead). Exposure to lead can cause cancer, reproductive issues, and neurological harm. There is no safe level of lead exposure. Exposure to cadmium has also been found to cause reproductive harm.

New today from The Pew Charitable Trusts: More than 70% of adults in the United States are very or somewhat concerned about their own or their loved ones’ exposure to harmful chemicals in food and drinking water, and a majority is also concerned about chemicals in food packaging, children’s and baby products, farmland, and other sources. Further, about 5 in 6 want government and business to do more to ensure chemical safety and increase transparency around the use of chemicals. Read more.