2022 Election Night Analysis

I’d like to introduce myself, I’m Avonna Starck and I am the new State Director for Clean Water Action in Minnesota. I am finishing my first month as State Director and election night has come and gone – but thankfully it’s left us with some good news. Now that the ballots have been counted and the political landscape for the next legislative session is clear – we have a lot of opportunity to do good work in the areas of water, environmental justice, and stopping pollution at the source.

Of the 56 Clean Water Action endorsed candidates, 46 won their seats (82% success rate). The DFL won all the constitutional offices and a majority in both the House and Senate.  With the DFL firmly in control of the Governor’s office and both chambers of the legislature combined with the large surplus left after the legislature adjourned on May 23, 2022, we are poised for a busy legislative session when it begins in January 2023.

We are going to pick up where we left off in early 2022 when the Senate blocked our initiatives. We are going to work with stakeholders and lawmakers to reintroduce the 8 bills we prioritized that focused on addressing polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). We will continue to work with coalition members on legislation regarding cumulative impact and lead. And we will continue to work on environmental justice issues with the lawmakers who represent some of the most impacted areas of the state.

This election sends a strong message – Minnesota is ready. It’s ready for dedicated, ambitious, inspiring, and innovative leadership. Minnesotans voted for candidates who promised action in the area of water health. We voted for those who vowed to nurse our water back to health while protecting it from future damage. Here are Clean Water Action, we are ready to partner with the lawmakers you sent to St Paul to do this important work. For that, we thank you. You spoke, you voted, and now the legislature must listen and act.

Congratulations to our endorsed candidates:

Governor & Lt Governor: Tim Walz & Peggy Flanagan – WIN with 52.27% of the vote

Attorney General: Keith Ellison – WIN with 50.37% of the vote

2nd Congressional District: Angie Craig - WIN with 50.80% of the vote

3rd Congressional District: Dean Phillips - WIN with 59.56% of the vote

4th Congressional District: Betty McCollum – WIN with 67.72% of the vote

Senate District 8: Jennifer McEwan – WIN with 71.53% of the vote

Senate District 14: Aric Putnam – WIN with 52.29% of the vote

Senate District 18: Nick Frentz – WIN with 57.78% of the vote

Senate District 25: Liz Boldon – WIN with 58.49% of the vote

Senate District 34: John Hoffman – WIN with 54.87% of the vote

Senate District 39: Mary Kunesh – WIN with 66.49% of the vote

Senate District 40: John Marty – WIN with 64.76% of the vote

Senate District 41: Judy Seeberger – WIN with 50.33% of the vote

Senate District 43: Ann Rest – WIN with 77.29% of the vote

Senate District 45: Kelly Morrison – WIN with 56.28% of the vote

Senate District 49: Steve Cwodzinski – WIN with 62.27% of the vote

Senate District 51: Melissa Halvorson Wiklund – WIN 69.64% of the vote

Senate District 52: Jim Carlson – WIN 62.91% of the vote

Senate District 55: Lindsey Port – WIN 55.30% of the vote

Senate District 56: Erin Maye Quade – WIN with 56.66% of the vote

Senate District 60: Kari Dziedzic – WIN with 98.71% of the vote

Senate District 61: Scott Dibble – WIN with 98.71% of the vote

Senate District 64: Erin Murphy – WIN with 84.21% of the vote

Senate District 65: Sandy Pappas – WIN with 80.12% of the vote

House District 8B: Alicia Kozlowski – WIN with 70.95% of the vote

House District 18A: Jeff Brand – WIN with 51.03%

House District 24B: Tina Liebling - WIN with 57.02% of the vote

House District 25A: Kim Hicks – WIN with 55.21% of the vote

District 32B: Matt Norris - WIN with 51.12% of the vote

District 33B: Josiah Hill - WIN with 53.94% of the vote  

District 35B: Jerry Newton – WIN with 50.64% of the vote

District 34B: Melissa Hortman - WIN with 62.48% of the vote

District 40B: Jamie Becker-Finn - WIN with 67.72% of the vote

District 43B: Mike Freiberg - WIN with 97.53% of the vote  

District 44A: Peter Fischer - WIN with 62.72% of the vote

District 45B: Patty Acomb - WIN with 62.06% of the vote

District 46A: Larry Kraft - WIN with 97.88% of the vote

District 47B: Ethan Cha - WIN with 53.13% of the vote

District 49B: Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn – WIN with 57.62% of the vote  

District 53B: Rick Hansen - WIN with 54.35% of the vote

District 56A: Robert Bierman - WIN with 60.02% of the vote  

District 61A: Frank Hornstein - WIN with 98.75% of the vote   

District 61B: Jamie Long - WIN with 98.89% of the vote

District 63A: Samantha Sencer-Mura - WIN with 90.15% of the vote

District 64B: Dave Pinto - WIN with 82.62% of the vote

District 65B: Maria Isa Perez-Hedges - WIN with 78.54% of the vote

What is Arsenic doing in baby cereal?

A new report Arsenic in 9 Brands of Infant Cereal out today highlights the high levels of arsenic in infant rice cereal. Many parents choose rice cereal as one of baby’s first solid foods, unknowingly exposing vulnerable babies to a toxic chemical that affects brain development and is linked to cancer.

Healthy Babies Bright Futures tested 105 infant cereals for levels of arsenic, covering a wide range of brands and a variety of grains such as rice, brown rice, oats, quinoa, barley, corn, wheat, as well as mixed grain. Brands tested included six Gerber, Earth’s Best and HappyBABY products that I purchased at a Minnesota Target store. The testing found that rice cereals had on average six times more arsenic that multi-grain or other single grain cereals. Even though cereal companies have reduced the levels of arsenic in their cereal over the last four years, from 103 parts per billion (PPB) to 85 PPB, these levels are not health protective.

You might be wondering why there’s arsenic in rice cereal.  Rice uptakes ten times more arsenic from the soil compared with other grains. Arsenic is naturally occurring, but soil where arsenic-containing pesticides had previously been used have much higher levels. Arsenic not only causes cancer, but it poses a risk to developing brains, including reduction in IQ. The report notes that “arsenic in infant rice cereal and other rice-based foods accounts for an estimated loss of up to 9.2 million IQ points among U.S. children ages 0-6.” Reduced IQ has lifelong impacts on individuals and society at large and an analysis by Abt Associates estimates impacts for the country at $12-18 billion a year in lost wages.

While rice cereal is the top dietary source of arsenic for babies under age one, babies who live in areas with high levels of arsenic in drinking water may be getting a double dose of arsenic that could put their health and development at risk. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) estimates that 10 percent of all wells in Minnesota have natural arsenic levels at or above 10 micrograms per liter, which is the federal drinking water standard for arsenic, and “some groundwater in Minnesota has natural arsenic levels as high as 150 micrograms per liter.” MDH advises families with private wells to have their water tested for arsenic and if levels exceed 10 micrograms per liter, to install a water filtration system.

While it’s important to be aware of all potential sources of arsenic exposure, reducing babies’ exposure to this toxic element in cereal is something that we must tackle on multiple levels. Arsenic in rice may be a new problem to many parents and consumers, but it’s one that is solvable.

•  Federal action. There is no federal standard for arsenic in infant cereal, so the FDA should take immediate steps to set an enforceable, health-based standard that considers IQ loss as well as other potential health impacts.
• Retailer action. Retailers that sell baby cereals can educate consumers about the concerns with arsenic in rice cereal and the availability of safer foods and make low-arsenic products more visible on store shelves than rice-only cereals.
• Cereal manufacturer action. Cereal companies should take additional steps to reduce arsenic in their cereal products, including sourcing rice from fields with lower levels of arsenic in soil, growing strains that uptake less arsenic, blending into multi-grain products and more. Urge Gerber to take action.
• ·Parent action. You can significantly reduce your baby’s exposure to arsenic in cereal by avoiding single grain rice cereal, instead choosing other grains or multi-grain products. If your family eats rice, you can cook it in extra water and pour it off before eating or choose low arsenic basmati rice grown in California, India or Pakistan. See 8 Simple Ways to Protect Your Family from Arsenic Contamination in Rice and Other Foods.

Our actions today can make arsenic in infant cereal a problem of the past!

Healthy Schools, Healthy Playgrounds, Healthy Kids

Kathleen Schuler, MPH, Co-Director Healthy Legacy

April 4 was National Healthy Schools Day, sponsored by the Healthy Schools Network (HSN) and forty partner groups across the country. Unfortunately, many of our schools are not so healthy. According to Claire Barnett HSN Executive Director, the American Society of Civil Engineers recently gave school infrastructure in the U.S. a grade D+. She notes that 55 million school age children “spend time in school buildings that are likely to fail building inspections and to be out of compliance with federal and state health and safety regulations.”  Failing buildings can damage children’s health and ability to learn.

Environmental hazards facing America’s schools include mold, lead, asbestos, PCBs, radon, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, unsafe drinking fountains and exposure to toxic pesticides and cleaning/disinfecting products. EPA reports that half of all schools have problems with indoor air pollution. At the same time, public schools are serving more kids with asthma and learning and behavior problems, many of whom live in poverty.

Healthy Legacy joined a coalition of groups across the country to call on the federal government to include school infrastructure needs in its broad infrastructure proposals. Investments in upgrading school infrastructure and environmental health programs will pay off in healthier children who learn better. We need to build on programs such as U.S. EPA’s Tools for Schools indoor air quality program that provides voluntary guidance and limited grants to address air quality, which has resulted in improvements in many schools.  For example, after implementing indoor air quality programs, Northeast and Katy school districts in Texas saw decreased absenteeism due to asthma.

Infrastructure improvements should include creating safe playgrounds and athletic fields. Toxic waste tires don’t belong on school playgrounds and athletic fields. How did they get there in the first place? Since 1995 the U.S. EPA has been encouraging the recycling of waste tires into playground mulch and synthetic athletic field infill in order to address the problem of tire stockpiles. Waste tires are ground up for use as playground mulch and synthetic turf infill. The EPA estimates that nationwide 4,500 playgrounds use shredded tire mulch as cushioning under outdoor play equipment.[i] This includes nearly all Minneapolis public school playgrounds. Ninety-eight percent of the over 13,000 synthetic turf fields in the U.S. use crumb rubber infill.[ii]  

There is increasing concern from parents across the country, including in Minnesota communities from Minneapolis to Duluth to Edina, that hazardous chemicals in crumb rubber could harm children’s health. Chemicals detected in crumb rubber include carcinogens, neurotoxins, respiratory/eye/skin irritants and reproductive and developmental toxins. Chemicals detected include brain toxins the styrene, lead, cadmium as well as carcinogens, arsenic, pyrene, carbon black, polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and butadiene.

So ironically, while the EPA has been helping schools improve air quality, they also unwittingly increased children’s exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals on thousands of school playgrounds across the country. The EPA, along with the CDC and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, are now acknowledging that existing safety studies are inadequate and are taking another look at whether or not crumb rubber poses a health risk for children and athletes. They have undertaken a Federal Research Action Plan (FRAP) with results to be available in 2017 to take a closer look at the chemical components of crumb rubber and how they are emitted under various temperature conditions and better characterizing how athletes and children are exposed.[iii]

In the meantime, Minnesota communities are not waiting for more children to be harmed before acting. The Duluth School system is in the process of removing waste tire mulch from ten school playgrounds and replacing it with a safer wood-based material. The Minneapolis School district is putting on hold the installation of new playgrounds with tire mulch and is making plans to address the existing 47 playgrounds that use tire mulch. At the state level, Healthy Legacy is advocating for a state moratorium on public funds going into new playgrounds and sports fields using crumb rubber until the Minnesota Department of Health can evaluate the results of the FRAP and another study coming out of California in 2019.

Bottom line, we need to prioritize federal, state and local infrastructure spending to create healthy school environments. The average Minnesota child spends 6.28 hours in school every day during the school year.  Investment in fixing unhealthy school buildings and replacing toxic crumb rubber on playgrounds and sports fields will reap benefits in improved health and learning for Minnesota kids.

[i] U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fact Sheet-The Use of Recycled Tire Materials on Playgrounds & Artificial Turf Fields.

[ii] Synthetic Turf Council,  http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.syntheticturfcouncil.org/resource/resmgr/Files/CRUMB_RUBBER_FAQs.pdf  

[iii] U.S. EPA, Federal Research Action Plan on Recycled Tire Crumb Used on Playing Fields and Playgrounds https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/federal-research-recycled-tire-crumb-used-playing-fields

Chemicals in Kids' Halloween Makeup & Other Products-Pretty Scary!

By Kathleen Schuler, MPH, Co-Director Healthy Legacy, Director Healthy Kids and Families Program Conservation Minnesota

A new report by the Breast Cancer Fund’s Campaign for Safe Cosmetics  found lead and cadmium in children’s face paint, as well as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other problem chemicals in kids’ shampoos, lip balms, makeup and nail products. Hormone disrupting parabens and preservatives that release carcinogenic formaldehyde were found on labels. Laboratory testing detected the brain toxin lead and the hormone disrupter cadmium in Halloween face paints. Additional lab testing of a variety of kids’ cosmetics, including products purchased here in Minnesota, revealed the presence of the developmental toxicant toluene and possible carcinogens ethylbenzene and vinyl acetate in fragranced products. 

The FDA wouldn't allow these chemicals into products if they weren’t safe - right? Wrong. Cosmetics are among the least regulated products. The 75-year-old federal cosmetics law does not require pre-market safety testing or review of chemicals in products by the FDA. Ingredients in cosmetic products sold on the internet do not have to be labeled and secret ingredients in fragrance are not required to be labeled on any cosmetic products. The FDA has no authority to require recalls of products found to harm consumers and cannot require manufacturers to register ingredients or report cosmetic-related injuries. 

Lack of proper federal oversight of potentially harmful ingredients is a big concern. Cosmetic products are increasingly marketed to children with Disney and other kid-focused character branding. Children are uniquely vulnerable to adverse effects from chemical exposures because they are still growing and developing. Exposure to chemicals that disrupt hormones, impair brain development or increase cancer risk during key developmental windows from infancy through adolescence, can put kids at risk for adverse health effects later in life.

What did they find?
The report summarizes results from reading the labels of 187 children’s cosmetic products, finding chemicals of concern, fragrance and propylparaben in almost half of the products examined. Testing of 48 Halloween face paint products revealed trace amounts of heavy metals in 21 products, with some products containing as many as four metals. The report also describes results from testing of 48 products from 14 states for VOCs. Twenty percent of these products contained at least one VOC, four of which are linked to adverse health effects, toluene, styrene, ethylbenzene and vinyl acetate. 

I purchased five products at a Minnesota Toys R Us for VOC testing. With names like “Hello Kitty Bath Tote,” “Fashion Angels Rainbow Unicorn Beauty Set” and “Minions Nail Kit,” there’s no doubt these products are marketed to kids. Of the products purchased in Minnesota, the “Minions Nail Set” tested positive for the VOC acetone, commonly used as a solvent in nail polish, which can be toxic to children at levels higher than found in this product. 

The label-reading part of the project identified three different formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in six different kids’ cosmetic products. This finding is of note, because Minnesota law prohibits formaldehyde-releasing chemicals in products designed for children under age 8 at greater than 500 parts-per-million. Because the concentration of chemicals in these six products is unknown, we cannot determine if they comply with Minnesota law. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, so we are especially concerned about children’s exposure. 

Need for Stronger Regulation
Cosmetics regulation needs to be reformed to protect public health, including: a ban on ingredients linked to cancer, birth defects, developmental harm and other health concerns; required pre-market safety testing of cosmetic ingredients by manufacturers; required full ingredient disclosure including fragrance ingredients; and preservation of existing state laws such as Minnesota’s bans on formaldehyde-releasers and triclosan. Retailers can take action by prohibiting ingredients linked to harmful health effects in product lines and expanding safer cosmetic product lines.  Finally, the report notes that manufacturers can meet consumer demand for safe cosmetics by avoiding the use of harmful chemicals in favor of safer alternatives, disclosing all product ingredients, adopting a restricted substances list that governs current and future use of chemicals and monitoring research on chemicals of emerging concern.  

Take Action: Tell Congress to pass strong cosmetic regulation. 

Consumer Tips for a Safer Halloween and Beyond
•    Avoid face paint - find a Halloween costume that doesn’t require it. 
•    Avoid darkly pigmented makeups. 
•    Find a do-it-yourself face paint recipe. 
•    Buy safer products – read labels and avoid products with added fragrance, parabens, styrene or formaldehyde-releasing preservatives like DMDM hydantoin, imidiazoldinal urea or diazolydinal urea. 
•    Delay the use of kids’ cosmetic products - wait until kids are older. 
•    See more tips in the report