With advocacy and regulations spurring a shift away from methylene chloride and NMP (though EPA has failed to act on NMP), consumers and contractors may be wondering what alternatives they can use.

Last week, thanks to our coalition partners WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Sierra Club, and Earthjustice, and others, a federal court ordered the U.S. EPA to update standards for lead in paint and dust to protect children’s health. The agency must propose the revised standards in 90 days, and finalize them a year after that, despite EPA’s arguments for a further delay.

Toxic flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) has been used in foam building insulation for years. A new estimate finds about 99 million pounds of it have been used in the U.S. It’s time for EPA to decide whether HBCD poses an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.

Easily inhaled, methylene chloride converts to carbon monoxide once inside the body—making it especially dangerous for people with heart or lung disease, and pregnant women.

Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has become a common – and controversial – method for extracting natural gas and oil trapped underground. The process involves various chemicals, some of which are known to be hazardous. With the potential for contamination, it’s important to know exactly what chemicals are being used and what their health impacts are.