Think the biggest problem with plastic products is how to get rid of them at the end of their use? Well, think again. Plastic products that are such a common feature of modern life—from water bottles to cell phone components—are made from fossil fuels. And fossil fuel extraction, from drilling to production, use, and disposal, exposes us to toxic pollution and hazardous synthetic chemicals that are known to increase breast cancer risk.  

Tell your representatives no more health harms! During a public health crisis, it’s imperative that we insist on legislation that protects our health.
 

For years, health and environmental justice activists have demanded from industry polluters and government regulators a phase-out of fossil fuels. And now, as oil and gas demand drops, the fossil fuel industry has ramped up plastic production because profits are more important to them than public health. Experts project that by 2050, global plastic production will triple, along with the poison and pollution it generates.

There is a bill before Congress, H.R. 5845 Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, which can stop the plastics industry and its associated fossil fuel pollution in its tracks. This bill will:

  • Temporarily halt new permits for plastic production facilities
  • Update the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations to eliminate factory-produced plastic pollutions
  • Push the EPA to update existing Clean Air and Clean Water Act emission standards that prevent further pollution from plastics facilities

Take action and ask your representative to support the H.R. 5845 Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals. This is vitally important for us all, and particularly for communities located near fossil fuel extraction sites and plastics production facilities.