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CEH filed lawsuits against four personal care product manufacturers after it found evidence of a toxic substance, cocamide Diethanolamine (cocamide DEA) in their shampoos, soaps and other personal care products. The nonprofit firm also sent letters to approximately 100 firms whose products also tested positive.

The EPA is banning exports of five mercury compounds, effective Jan. 1, 2020, under the reformed Toxic Substances Control Act.

The latest in water contaminates in this trend is a group of chemicals known as Perfluorinated Alkyl Substances, or PFASs (also known as Perfluoro Compounds or PFCs). Originally developed to help repel stains and improve the effectiveness of firefighting chemicals, these substances have leached into groundwater near factories, military bases and other sites where they have been used heavily. Several Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) solutions are available for treatment of PFCs in groundwater. One of the most cost-effective of these options for PFAS removal comes from coconuts: AquaCarb CX enhanced coconut shell GAC. It combines the benefits of an activated carbon with the high micropore structure of coconut shell, with faster kinetics comparable to bituminous coal.

Greenpeace said that 16 out of the 27 products from Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Trussardi and Versace were found containing toxic substances, including nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). The highest concentration of NPEs was detected in a Louis Vuitton branded ballerina shoe.

Polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, are chemicals used in nonstick cooking products and firefighting material and are known to cause health risks. Researchers found that 194 out of 4,864 water supplies in about 36 states had detectable levels of the chemicals, but most water treatment plants don't have the technology to remove it, putting millions of people at risk.

Walmart sent a letter to its suppliers outlining its new sustainable chemistry policy, which seeks to curtail the use of substances that are hazardous to human health and the environment. The policy was developed over several years in consultation with the Environmental Defense Fund and other stakeholders.

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) wants manufacturers to find alternatives to three chemicals contained in consumer product

To shrink the hole in the ozone layer, we need to cut down on dangerous substitutes for ozone-depleting substances

Italian company Bio-on developed a new bioplastic that is intended to reduce the environmental impact of e-waste from smart phones, computers, and other devices. The substance serves as a platform for electronic circuits and is 100% biodegradable.

This month, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control announced its first three "priority products" under the Safer Consumer Product Regulations:

FedEx Ground Package System allegedly violated California's hazardous waste control laws more than 1,500 times, according to a civil complained filed by the state Department of Toxic Substances Control.

Ritz cheese and cracker snack packaging, paint color and yellow spray paint have the highest levels of the banned substance polychlorinated biphenyl among products tested, according to a report released Thursday by the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding its program to clean up the products it sells, setting a 2022 target for reducing potentially harmful substances and widening the list of chemicals it wants to avoid.

Potent, climate-warming gases are being emitted into the atmosphere but are not being recorded in official inventories, a BBC investigation has found. Air monitors in Switzerland have detected large quantities of one gas coming from a location in Italy. However, the Italian submission to the UN records just a tiny amount of the substance being emitted. Levels of some emissions from India and China are so uncertain that experts say their records are plus or minus 100%.

Online marketplace Etsy received the Petal Certification through the Living Building Challenge for its sustainable headquarters, using reclaimed wood and screening the paints, adhesive materials and about 1,500 other items to ensure they did not contain harmful substances. Etsy is the first tech company to achieve the rating and is now aiming to achieve zero-waste in its workplaces across the globe by 2020.

The West Virginia chemical spill last month cost businesses $61 million, according to a preliminary economic impact study by the Marshall University Center for Business and Economic Research.

Facilities' total releases of toxic chemicals decreased 12 percent from 2011 to 2012, according to the EPA's annual Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) report. The decrease includes an 8 percent decline in total toxic air releases, primarily due to reductions in hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions.

Apple is banning the use of two potentially hazardous chemicals, benzene and n-hexane, during the final assembly of iPhones and iPads as part of the company's latest commitment to protect the factory workers who build its trendy devices.