‍Defend Our Health data on PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ is now available to consumers via Clearya tool

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Portland, ME—As leaders in the national fight against toxic PFAS “forever chemical” contamination, Defend Our Health, an environmental health advocacy organization, is proud to announce a significant collaboration and partnership with Clearya. This free, innovative digital tool now alerts consumers to undisclosed PFAS in products while shopping online. Clearya’s app and browser extension help make non-toxic shopping easy online and in-store. Get automatic alerts on potential health risks hidden in ingredient lists for beauty, personal care, baby care, cleaning products, and more, and find safer, vetted alternatives wherever you shop, including at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Sephora, and other major retailers.

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Since 2017, Defend Our Health has fought to protect communities from the health harms of historical and ongoing PFAS contamination in our water, farmlands, and everyday products. These chemicals are highly toxic to human health and have widely contaminated drinking water, food supplies, and local environments across the U.S. Defend has spearheaded collaborative efforts with local activists, community members, impacted farmers, and the Maine Legislature to phase out PFAS in various consumer products.

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“Defend has been testing and tracking consumer products that contain PFAS sold in Maine for years,” said Emily Carey Perez de Alejo, president and CEO at Defend. “And now, we can match those products with items online and in stores, identify similar products, and present all this information to consumers directly through their browser or the Clearya mobile app. While we recognize that the burden should not be on individual consumers to protect themselves from toxic chemicals, as we fight to do more work on the policy side to hold corporations accountable, we’re grateful for resources like Clearya that help consumers protect themselves and their families.”

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Maine’s first-in-the-nation law, LD 1503, required companies selling products in Maine to report on their use of PFAS in consumer products and to phase out almost all PFAS use in the coming years. Data reported to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection is now publicly available through this partnership between Defend and Clearya. This data, secured via public record requests, includes identifiable products in submissions from 36 companies that reported to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection under Maine’s PFAS in products law. It is now available via Clearya to effortlessly inform consumers about PFAS in products before buying them.          

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Research shows that exposure to some PFAS may be associated with decreased antibody response (increased risk of infectious disease) and elevated cholesterol levels (increased risk of heart disease and strokes) in both children and adults; decreased infant and fetal growth (increased risk of a lifetime of poor health); increased risk of kidney, breast, and testicular cancers; thyroid disease and ulcerative colitis in adults; liver disease in children and adults; and high blood pressure and preeclampsia during pregnancy. As evidence highlighting the dangers of PFAS builds, consumer demand for market leaders and government agencies like the EPA to take action is increasing. PFAS-free alternatives are readily available for many of the products in the Clearya database, and organizations like Defend are pushing for legislation to phase out the use of PFAS as soon as practicable.

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“We are thrilled to partner with Defend Our Health to bring critical PFAS data directly to consumers,” said Amit Rosner, CEO and Co-founder of Clearya. “This collaboration exemplifies our commitment to working alongside leading organizations and government agencies to leverage data for good, empower individuals to make safer choices, and drive systemic change in environmental health and justice.”

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“I am proud that Maine's groundbreaking first-in-the-nation law to phase out the use of consumer products has compelled national and international companies to publicly report their use of dangerous PFAS chemicals in everyday items,” said Maine Senator Henry Ingwersen (D-York). “Data reported to Maine's Department of Environmental Protection is now available to consumers in Maine and other states who want to avoid PFAS-containing items when they shop for their families.”

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Clearya’s free web browser extension and mobile app help people reduce exposure to toxic chemicals by automatically analyzing the product ingredient lists at major online shops and notifying the shoppers if any ingredients match a known toxicant, according to authoritative regulatory or scientific sources. Better shopping is made more accessible when the app automatically alerts shoppers to ingredients of concern and assures them that they have found a safer alternative. Download Clearya to your computer or mobile device at https://www.clearya.com.

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DEFEND OUR HEALTH

Defend Our Health works to create a world where all people are thriving, with equal access to safe food and drinking water, healthy homes, and products that are toxic-free and climate-friendly. www.defendourhealth.org

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CLEARYA

Clearya is a technology platform that mines data insights to support environmental health and justice organizations, government agencies, and responsible industry players in driving a systemic shift towards a toxic-free living environment. In parallel, Clearya empowers shoppers to make healthy choices by automatically screening product ingredients for toxic chemicals and suggesting safe alternatives. Visit www.clearya.com  

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‍Disclaimer: the content in this blog post is provided for general information, and does not substitute any medical advice by your own doctor or another health care professional. Contact hello@clearya.com for questions or comments.