The mission of the Sierra Club Toxics Team is to advocate effectively for preventing, mitigating, and/or remedying adverse health and environmental effects and environmental injustices related to exposures to a wide range of hazardous chemical substances, both synthetic and natural (as laid out in the Sierra Club Toxic Chemicals Policy and Environmentally Hazardous Substances). 

There are currently two working subteams in the Toxics Team. The PFAS Subteam works on issues relating to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a group also known as "forever chemicals" because of their persistence in the environment. The HAB subteam works on issues relating to harmful algal blooms, a nutrient and temperature-driven phenomenon that can lead to the release of a variety of toxins into bodies of water.

Toxic substances are chemicals with the potential to cause harm to living things.  Toxic substances may negatively impact human health, or may damage the environment through their effects on other living organisms.  Toxic substances can be either naturally occurring or synthetic (created in a lab), and include such substances as:

• Heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium, and others)
• Pesticides (organochlorines, organophosphates, and many others)
• PFAS (a large group of per- and polyfluoroalkyl compounds sometimes known as "forever chemicals" for their persistence)
• Cyanobacterial toxins (toxic substances manufactured by some types of algae)
• Air toxics (benzene, methylene chloride and other airborne solvents)

This is by no means a comprehensive list, as the EPA Toxics Release Inventory program alone lists 787 different chemicals in 33 different categories.

Toxic substances may enter the environment through release into waterways, into the air, or into the ground.  Each route has its own set of health and environmental concerns.

Links to a few current news items:

• 10/08/2024  The EPA has issued a final rule concerning lead and copper in drinking water, requiring more rigorous testing and a lower threshold for taking action.
• 9/9/2024 The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has released a new strategic plan for federal research on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
• 8/6/2024 The EPA has instituted an emergency suspension of all registrations of the pesticide DCPA (Dacthal) citing health concerns.
• 5/8/2024 Food and Water Watch has published A Consumer's Guide to PFAS to help consumers avoid these 'forever chemicals.'
• 4/10/2024 Biden-Harris Administration Finalizes First-Ever National Drinking Water Standard to Protect 100M People from PFAS Pollution
• 4/8/2024 Biden-Harris Administration Takes Action to Cut PFAS from U.S. Government Custodial Contracts
• 3/2024 The Environmental Working Group has published its 2024 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce.
• 3/8/2024 PCBs still being produced despite 40 year old ban (The Guardian)
• 3/21/2024 The EPA has released its 2022 Toxics Release Inventory National Analysis. 
• 3/18/2024  The EPA has announced a rule to ban ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos, the only form of asbestos still used in the US. 
• 2/27/2024 The Biden-Harris Administration has announced over $1 billion to start new cleanup projects and continue work at 100 Superfund sites across the country. 
• 2/8/2024 The EPA has finalized changes which should strengthen implementation of the Toxic Substances Control Act.   
• 2/1/2024  The EPA has announced new steps to help protect communities from emerging chemicals of concern, including PFAS.  

Here is a collection of links to resources that may be helpful in learning about the properties, distribution, and regulation of toxic substances. 

Here are some webinars and other opportunities to find out more about current issues concerning toxic substances:

• The Collaborative for Health and Environment presented a webinar - Artificial Turf: Research on Plastic Pollution, PFAS, and Health Concerns on Sept. 18, 2024.  You can can watch the recording and see the slides  here.
• Sierra Club Grassroots Network Toxics Team's Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) SubTeam presented a webinar, Rights of Nature: Saving Lake Erie by Sean Nestor, a grassroots organizer from Toledo whose focus is on promoting democracy and citizen empowerment as a solution to social problems.  A recording of the webinar can be accessed here on our YouTube channel.   
• EPA/Office of Research and Development webinar series on harmful algal blooms (dates listed on the webinar home page)
• The Great Lakes HABs Collaborative webinar series on HABs mitigation and treatment, featuring cutting-edge research and technology on harmful algal bloom interception, treatment, and adaptive management.  Dates and information on the series located on this Great Lakes HABs Collaborative webpage.