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MEPs block EU Commission proposal that would allow toxic lead in recycled PVC

Members of the European Parliament today objected to a European Commission proposal to allow lead-contaminated recycled PVC to be sold in the EU. The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL), ClientEarth and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) have applauded MEPs for using their power of scrutiny in order to ask the European Commission to walk the talk and keep toxics out of the circular economy, a promise outlined in the European Green Deal.
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The “forever chemicals” that are harming our health: PFAS

You may not recognize the name PFAS, short for per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances, yet it is likely you come in contact with this toxic chemical on a daily basis. From frying pans and cosmetics to paper food packaging and clothing, PFAS is a class of more than 4,700 widely-used, man-made chemicals. And they are putting our health and the environment at serious risk.
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Forever chemicals no more: Belgian premiere of Hollywood movie “Dark Waters” highlights reality of PFAS pollution and the urgency to address it through ambitious regulation

Award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo and director Todd Haynes are visiting the European Parliament this Wednesday (5 February) to present the film ‘Dark Waters’, inspired by the true story of an environmental attorney who took on the DuPont company in an environmental suit exposing decades of pollution of drinking water with PFAS. The movie shows the harsh consequences of chemicals pollution, which is a reality in the EU too, and should urgently be addressed as a chemical priority under the European Green Deal.
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The European Green Deal identifies right areas for action but more urgency needed to meet zero pollution ambition and benefit health

Today, the European Commission presented the European Green Deal plan that sets out many environmental health issues, where the European Union policies such as climate, air or chemicals, can help deliver a zero pollution objective and better health protection for all. However, to achieve the transformational, systemic change needed to address the magnitude of the challenges the world is facing today, the timeline and scope of the European Green Deal will have to better reflect the evidence which clearly makes the case for more urgent action.
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A European Green Deal that strives for a healthy planet for healthy people is putting zero pollution and health protection at its core

HEAL together with members called on the European College of Commissioners and the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to translate the support they have expressed for environmental health protection during their parliamentary hearings into tangible and impactful policy proposals and legislation. Zero pollution and health protection need to be at the core of the Commission’s flagship European Green Deal. It is essential that the European Green Deal delivers on climate change, on clean air and on health protection from hazardous chemicals, including endocrine disrupting chemicals.
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Climate action for our health and planetary health

Our message on climate action as the biggest opportunity to benefit health today, tomorrow and for future generations is powerful, and should be heard everywhere, writes HEAL's Founder and Executive Director Genon K. Jensen.
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New EU Commission needs to walk the talk on clean air

The Commission Staff Working Document on the Fitness Check of the Ambient Air Quality Directives, published today, makes it abundantly clear that it is necessary and beneficial to have European air quality standards. At the same time, the assessment points out that standards need to be implemented and applied rigorously, and that the current standards are not fully based on the latest science and World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.
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