Environmental advocacy groups plan to ignite a campaign Thursday in an effort to get companies like Walmart, Target and Costco to remove potentially toxic products from shelves.
The health groups claim that more action needs to be taken in regard to the regulation of toxic chemical use in products like shampoo, sofa cushions and food packaging. They also say that the U.S. government is not doing their part in stopping potentially dangerous chemicals from being used in these everyday household products.
"We've seen the power of retailers to change the marketplace," said Andy Igrejas from Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families--an advocacy group fighting against the use of toxic chemicals.
Other groups have joined on the anti-chemical bandwagon, including the Breast Cancer Fund and the Union of Concerned Scientists. And these advocates plan to send a letter to 10 companies, including Kroger, Walgreens, Home Depot, CVS Caremark, Lowe's, Best Buy and Safeway to ask them to develop a plan that will take dangerous products off the shelves within a year.
Some companies, like Target and the parent company of Sears and Kmart, started an initiative in 2007 to not use polyvinyl chloride, more commonly known as PVC, in their products.
"Our companies go to great lengths to help Americans make informed decisions about which products are best for their families," said Anne Kolton from the American Chemistry Council, a group that represents plastic and industrial chemical manufacturers.
But Igrejas believes that the federal government is not doing enough to keep potentially dangerous products off store shelves.
"It's the Wild West," he said, adding that the Toxic Control Substances Act hasn't received an update since it passed back in 1976.
"The federal government isn't minding the store, so the stores need to mind the store."