Health and Environment
Ongoing scientific research shows that harmful chemicals present in agriculture, manufacturing and consumer goods are causing a wide range of reproductive, neurological, developmental and immunological health impacts.
The use of these chemicals – known as Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins (PBTs) because they are retained in the human body or linger in the environment long after exposure – must be curtailed to improve human health.
The program’s goal is to promote state and federal policies and align market incentives to reduce the use of petroleum-based chemicals that are linked to preventable disease. We are accomplishing this goal by:
- Supporting state and national campaigns that tie PBTs to human health;
- Expanding outreach to the people most often impacted by PBTs, including women, minorities and children;
- Raising consumer awareness and changing government policies to increase market pressures on companies that use PBTs and market rewards for those that seek safer alternatives;
- Helping translate cutting-edge scientific research on these toxic chemicals to ensure vulnerable communities understand their risks;
- Focusing on institutions such as hospitals, universities and governments in New England to ensure they are purchasing safer products; and
- Aligning with the Clean Energy Program, because ongoing reliance on fossil fuels is at the root of both issues.
Grantee Profile
Environmental Health Strategy Center
For the past fifteen years, the Environmental Health Strategy Center has inspired groundbreaking state policy and innovative market-based campaigns to phase out some of the most toxic chemicals from household goods and baby products.
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Special Initiative
Healthy Babies Bright Futures
The John Merck Fund has helped launch Healthy Babies Bright Futures to measurably limit exposure to toxic chemicals in a baby’s everyday environment and reduce the prevalence of these disorders.
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Special Initiative
Chemical Footprint Project
The Chemical Footprint Project is a comprehensive tool for measuring corporate progress towards using safer chemicals in all phases of manufacturing and retail.
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Recent Environmental Health Grant Awards
| Date | Description | Program Area | Focus | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/2020 |
Concerned Citizens of MossvilleTo advocate for environmental justice, educate residents about the health and environmental impacts of toxic pollution, compel federal and state environmental agencies to enforce human rights laws, and advocate for health services, relocation, and pollution reduction to improve the lives and health of residents in and near Mossville, Louisiana. |
Health and Environment |
Environmental Justice |
$10,000 |
| 12/2020 |
Community In-Power and Development AssociationTo organize, educate, and empower residents in low-income communities in Port Arthur, Texas, to take action against neighboring chemical manufacturers, refineries, and incinerator facilities to keep them from polluting the air, land, and water. |
Health and Environment |
Environmental Justice |
$10,000 |
| 12/2020 |
Concerned Citizens of St. JohnTo work on environmental health and justice with the local community in St. John the Baptist Parish, where there are four large chemical plants within a few miles of each other. |
Health and Environment |
Environmental Justice |
$10,000 |
| 12/2020 |
Louisiana Environmental Action NetworkTo use education, empowerment, advocacy, and support to resolve the unique environmental struggles present in Louisiana. |
Health and Environment |
Environmental Justice |
$10,000 |
| 12/2020 |
RISE St. JamesTo save communities in St. James Parish from industrial pollution and exposure to toxic chemicals. |
Health and Environment |
Environmental Justice |
$10,000 |
| 12/2020 |
Louisiana Bucket BrigadeTo use grassroots action to achieve sustainable neighborhoods free from industrial pollution and to hasten the transition from fossil fuels. |
Health and Environment |
Environmental Justice |
$10,000 |
| 12/2020 |
EarthjusticeTo press the EPA to interpret, implement, and enforce the Chemical Safety Act in the most health-protective manner as the revised law allows. |
Health and Environment |
$100,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Sustainable ProductionTo advance safer chemistry by implementing a strategic plan with a research and strategy institute at UMass Lowell, provisionally called the Institute for Safe and Sustainable Chemistry. |
Health and Environment |
$40,000 | |
| 12/2020 |
Toxic-Free FutureTo achieve policy and market changes that eliminate the worst toxic chemicals from products and communities, advance safer alternatives and ingredient transparency, and create systemic changes to ensure healthier communities in the future. |
Health and Environment |
$175,000 | |
| 09/2020 |
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Center for Climate, Health, and the Global EnvironmentTo model the health benefits of the Transportation Climate Initiative for children and adults living in New York City, as part of a larger study of its benefits region-wide. |
Health and Environment |
$20,000 |