The Toxies – An Award Show for Bad Actor Chemicals
Everyone knows about the Oscars, but have you heard about The Toxies? This Wednesday, March 3 at 11 am, the first-ever red carpet awards ceremony for “Bad Actor” chemicals will take place at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Bad Actor chemicals include some of the most toxic compounds known. Despite the health risks from these poisons, they lurk in many common products and pollute the environment, threatening our children and families.
Guests at The Toxies will learn about “Bad Actor” chemical nominees, including such toxins as:
- Hydrofluoric Acid (HF): used in the making of high-octane gasoline, refrigerants, herbicides, pharmaceuticals, aluminum, plastics, electrical components, and florescent light bulbs, splashes of HF on the skin can be fatal. HF inhalation can cause lingering chronic lung disease.
- Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFC): most widely known for their use in Teflon, PFCs are also used as water, stain and grease repellents in food wrap, carpet, furniture, and clothing. Linked to damage to major organs such as ovaries, liver, kidney, spleen, and others, PFCs have no known biological or environmental breakdown mechanism.
- Methyl Iodide: a soil fumigant slated to replace the toxic pesticide methyl bromide, methyl iodide has long been used to induce cancer in lab animals.
The Toxies is brought to you by Californians for a Healthy and Green Economy (CHANGE), a coalition of environmental health, policy, labor, environmental justice, interfaith, and other organizations working to create a better system for regulating toxic chemicals in California. Learn more about The Toxies at http://www.facebook.com/TheToxies.