Safer, Not Sicker: Why Strong Protections from Toxic Chemicals Matter
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Under the Trump administration, the office that approves pesticides remains fully staffed and moving faster than ever. The office that fact-checked those approvals is gone. The EPA has eliminated its Office of Research and Development — the division responsible for the independent science used to evaluate industry-submitted safety claims — while accelerating pesticide approvals, renewing approval of the drift-prone herbicide dicamba, and invoking the Defense Production Act to declare glyphosate, a probable human carcinogen facing billions of dollars in cancer litigation, a matter of national security.
These decisions have real-world impacts. Toxic chemicals and pesticides don’t stay neatly contained—they move through our air, water, soil, and food systems. Families, farmworkers, gardeners, and communities across the country are left more vulnerable to exposure when independent science and oversight are sidelined.
The good news is that change is possible. Strong policies, science-based regulation, and public engagement can reduce toxic exposures and protect the health of our communities and ecosystems.
The Safer, Not Sicker national campaign highlights a simple but urgent message: people want stronger protections from toxic pollution—not weaker ones. When science-based safeguards are in place and enforced, harmful exposures can be prevented. But when those protections are rolled back, communities are left to face the consequences.
You can help! Contact your state and federal legislators using the call script below, and urge them to support strong protections from toxic chemicals and pesticides. Tell them you want policies that prioritize independent science, public health, and environmental safety. Our communities deserve clean air, safe water, and healthy environments.
You can also help by donating to PPAN, so we can continue this important work.
Call/Email Script
Hello Senator/Representative _________. My name is __________ and I live in your district at zip code _________.
As I’m sure you’re aware, the Trump administration has continuously dismantled regulatory safeguards put in place to protect the health of American citizens. Under Trump, the EPA has eliminated the division responsible for evaluating pesticides and their industry-submitted safety claims by using independent science, while the office that approves these pesticides for use remains open and working faster than ever. Recently, this administration invoked the Defense Production Act to increase production of glyphosate, a probable human carcinogen facing billions of dollars in cancer litigation, as “a matter of national security.”
Recently, a group of former EPA staffers released a 54-page report highlighting the most prevalent toxics in the United States and detailing every action this administration has taken to remove the safeguards meant to shield citizens from them. In the top 12 of these toxics in the report are pesticides, including glyphosate.
Independent and science-based safety regulations are vital for the health of Americans. As your constituent, I urge you to defend EPA funding to ensure that the agency functions as it was intended to- as a guardian of our health and the health of the organisms and the environment that we depend on. American citizens cannot afford to be exposed to these dangerous substances in our air, water, soil, and food. Please do the right thing and thank you for your time.
Best regards,
[Your name]
