By Zoë Christopher, Operations Manager and Program Officer
Actions speak louder than words.
In our latest blog post, “The Latest Train Derailment, Chevron, the EPA—and Breast Cancer,” I discuss the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s approval of fuels made from plastics, the toxic chemicals released into the atmosphere following the recent East Palestine Ohio train derailment, and how these could set us back years from addressing and ending the breast cancer crisis.
It is clear from these examples we need stronger, more decisive action from the EPA.
Chevron, one of the 5 fossil fuel companies that make up Big Oil, has millions of dollars invested in infrastructure for fracking and fossil fuel projects. The EPA’s approval of their latest plan to invest even more into plastic- and waste-based fuels is a greenwashed delusion, and is contributing to the breast cancer crisis.
Vinyl chloride is one of the chemicals the EPA announced was released into the air, ground, and water as a result of the Ohio train derailment. It is primarily used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics, and it is considered carcinogenic. Plastics do not fully decompose, they aren’t renewable, and plastics production is fueling the climate crisis, which, as we’ve shown, exacerbates the breast cancer crisis.
Read the piece now, for our take on what these headlines mean for the breast cancer crisis.
At BCAction, we not only advocate for less dependence on only fossil fuels, but also for the elimination of practices that release toxic chemicals into the environment. It is the mission and job of the EPA “to protect people and the environment from significant health risks, sponsor and conduct research, and develop and enforce environmental regulations.” We must hold the EPA accountable!
Our unabashed, people-over-profit perspective on these developments is crucial to addressing the breast cancer crisis. Thank YOU for your continued support and engagement, which bolsters and galvanizes our watchdog work.