Helena Brijbasi

The EPA recently announced that PFAS are more toxic than once thought, however, researchers have raised concerns about the health consequences of exposure to these ‘forever chemicals’ for years. Today, we are highlighting

In 1984, the Supreme Court found Monsanto in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act because of their “conspiracy to maintain resale prices and terminate price-cutters” of agricultural herbicides. The case was decided after

In 1978, John T. Barr of the Law Department for Air Products–an American chemical industry company–drafted a hearing brief on OSHA’s recently proposed regulations and its reach of power. Founded

In the twenty-first century, several companies–most recently Deutsche Bank’s DWS– have come under scrutiny for "greenwashing" or misleading consumers about their environmental impact for the benefit of company image.

In November 1996, the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA) sent a letter to the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) on “Vinyl Chloride: Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity Data Summary.” While evidence linking vinyl chloride and

In honor of International Workers’ Day, we are highlighting documents from the Workers Institute for Safety and Health (WISH) which was established in 1980 to protect workers from occupational hazards. Shortly after the

In April 1989, Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) published an article titled “Climate Change Task Force Tackles Global Warming” in their trade association newsletter to address intensifying concerns over global warming. Though

With news that the EPA will replace lead pipes across the country through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, we are highlighting historic documents that depict how advertising played a role in the growth

The Environmental Protection Agency recently opened a civil rights investigation over pollution and discriminatory practices in Louisiana’s chemical corridor, however, residents have warned of hazardous exposures for decades. Dubbed “cancer alley” by

With recent news that microplastics are detected in places ranging from the depths of the ocean to the blood of humans, we are highlighting a 1946 document which contains the term “microplastic” in

Despite the emergence of evidence linking asbestos and lung cancer in the mid-1950s, asbestos remained in consumer products well into the 1970s. The document below highlights how Executive Secretary of the Asbestos Information

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has transformed how the public engages with previously unreleased documents from corporations, government, and other agencies since it was enacted in 1967. While national agencies and organizations

In 1994, the Vinyl Institute–a division under the trade association The Society of The Plastics Industry– sent a review on “Estrogen Mimics” to their Executive Board Technical Committee. Concern over estrogen mimics

In 1990, newspapers across the country reported on how Monsanto altered studies to obscure the health effects of dioxin. According to an internal federal memo from the EPA, Monsanto manipulated results to deny

In 1984, the scientific publishing house Springer-Verlag published the article “Health Risks to Female Workers in Occupational Exposure to Chemical Agents” to warn the public about the health effects of exposure to plastic

In 1994, the public relations firm Mongoven, Biscoe & Duchin, Inc. sent a document titled “MDB Activist Report for August” to the Chlorine Chemical Council (CCC) of the American Chemistry Council (ACC). The

Monsanto halted their production of PCBs in 1977, however, the issue of PCB waste remained a persistent problem. The document highlighted below is an internal record of recommendations posed to Monsanto following the

In 1991, the Journal of Air & Waste Management Association published the article “Chlorinated Solvents: Will the Alternatives be Safer?” in which the authors discuss concerns over the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCS) which

In the early 1980s, the Environmental Action, Inc. and Sierra Club began a campaign to “locate and expose the nation’s unsafe hazardous waste sites.” Check out the document here to learn more

While reproductive rights have been a focus of national politics, “reproductive toxins” which can cause adverse effects on reproductive systems continue to be left out of this discussion. In a 1988 inter-organization correspondence

In honor of Labor Day, we are highlighting a document from the 1961 National Safety Congress on Labor Safety. The document discusses the implications of the case of the 'Radium Girls' who sued

In the eye of a hurricane, oil and chemical hubs pose a toxic threat to surrounding communities. When the plants shut down before big storms, they produce an onslaught of toxic pollution which

Last week, the EPA announced measures to ban the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in food production. Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphate pesticide commonly used on crops and animals to kill insects and worms,

In 1979, veterans of the Vietnam War filed a class action lawsuit against Monsanto to secure a $40 billion trust fund to compensate the veterans for cancer, miscarriages, and birth defects they claimed

Despite increasing concerns about the effects of dioxin on occupational health in the late twentieth-century, industry scientists continued to downplay the toxicity of the chemical. The document highlighted is a confidential letter on