Since I wrote an article recently on the top consumer and personal finance stories of 2021, I was interested in a list offered by U.S. PIRG on the progress made in health, climate, and consumer issues in 2021. U.S. PIRG, a public interest research group, and its state partners worked on or supported many of these issues. Read more →

Walmart is being charged with illegal disposal of hazardous waste by the California Attorney General’s Office and 12 district attorneys. For six years, Walmart violated the state's environmental laws by disposing of hazardous waste products at local landfills that aren’t equipped or authorized to receive this waste. Read more →

The Food and Drug Administration has banned the use of toxic lead acetate in consumer hair dyes, an action that will help protect the public from hazardous chemicals. Lead acetate is the ingredient that slowly darkens gray hair when used every few days and can increase the level of lead in users’ bodies. Read more →

Walmart is recalling about 3,900 bottles of aromatherapy room spray that may contain a rare and dangerous bacteria that can cause serious injury and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested a version of the product and it contained Burkholderia pseudomallei. Read more →

Jason Brick, founder of Safest Family on the Block, provides lots of great safety information through his newsletter, podcast, website, blog, and books. With his permission, I’ll be posting a three-part series that appeared in his newsletter on Halloween safety. Read more →

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the agency’s comprehensive Strategic Roadmap on Monday to confront PFAS contamination nationwide. PFAS, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are widely used in industry and consumer products. They’re highly persistent in the environment. Read more →

The Food and Drug Administration issued voluntary, short-term sodium reduction targets Wednesday for processed, packaged, and prepared foods. The FDA said limiting sodium in the American diet can help prevent diseases such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Read more →

PFAS, called “forever chemicals,” are being banned in paper-based food packaging in California under a law signed Tuesday. The new law also requires the disclosure of toxic substances in cookware. It bans paper-based food packaging using PFAS chemicals starting Jan. 1, 2023. Read more →

When I was weeding a bed I weeded this spring, I thought it’s time to get some mulch to keep the weeds down. Then, I won’t have to do as much weeding. I’m allergic to the typical beauty bark from fir trees and other evergreen trees. I’ve used deciduous mulch before, so I tried to find some. Read more →

As the result of an Environmental Protection Agency ban on chlorpyrifos on food, it will be illegal for any traces of it to be present on produce or food. Even in small amounts, exposure to chlorpyrifos during pregnancy and early life harms the developing brain. Read more →