Environmental Working Group

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) is an environmental organization which specializes in environmental research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability. EWG is a non-profit organization (501(c)(3)) whose mission, according to their website, is "to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment." [ [http://www.ewg.org/about About the Environmental Working Group | Environmental Working Group ] ] Their funding is from "private foundations, individuals and select corporations." Fact|date=April 2008 EWG was founded in 1993 by Ken Cook and Richard Wiles, and is headquartered in Washington DC in the United States.

A sister organization, the EWG Action Fund, is the lobbying arm (501(c)(4)) of the organization and was founded in 2002. [ [http://www.ewg.org/about About the Environmental Working Group | Environmental Working Group ] ]

Issue areas and projects

EWG works on three main policy or issue areas: toxic chemicals and human health; farming and agricultural subsidies; and public lands and natural resources. 52% of EWG's resources go to toxic chemicals and human health [ [http://www.ewg.org/about/funding About Our Funding | Environmental Working Group ] ] .

Toxic chemicals and human health

EWG has created a cosmetics safety database [http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com] which indexes and scores products based on their ingredients. Their Guide to Pesticides in Produce [http://foodnews.org] lists 44 fruits and vegetables based on the number of pesticides they were found to contain according to USDA data. A series of studies testing for the presence of chemicals in people's bodies is known as body burden [http://www.toxome.org] . The organization has also constructed a national database of tap water testing results from public water utilities [http://www.ewg.org/sites/tapwater] . Their work has extended to a variety of other chemicals, including bisphenol A, perchlorate, mercury, flame retardants, and arsenic in treated wood.

Agricultural policy

EWG publishes a database of agricultural subsidies and their recipients [http://farm.ewg.org/sites/farmbill2007/] . The EWG Action Fund advocates for farm bill reform in the form of decreased disaster payments and subsidies for commodity crops, and increased funding for nutrition programs, conservation, specialty crops (i.e. fruits and vegetables), and organic agriculture.

Natural resources

The organization investigates and publishes information regarding oil and gas drilling and mining projects that may pose a threat to human health and the environment. [http://www.ewg.org/featured/18]

Current Projects

kin Deep

Skin Deep [http://cosmeticsdatabase.com] is a cosmetics safety database which pairs ingredients in over 27,000 products against 50 toxicity and regulatory databases. The database is intended as a resource for consumers, who can search by ingredient or product when choosing personal care products.

In June 2007, EWG updated Skin Deep with a report on sunscreen toxicity. The report states that 83% of 911 sunscreen products offer inadequate protection from the sun, or contain ingredients with significant safety concerns. The report identifies only 17% of the products on the market as both safe and effective, blocking both UVA and UVB radiation, remaining stable in sunlight, and containing few if any ingredients with significant known or suspected health hazards. [ [http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/special/sunscreens/summary.php Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database - Special Report] ] [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2007/08/07/couricandco/entry3143931.shtml Sunscreen: Don't Get Burned - Couric & Co] ]

Industry representatives call these claims "highly inaccurate." Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) general council Farah Ahmed stated "It is very clear to me that they have a very low level of understanding of the way sunscreens work and the way they are regulated by the FDA and tested by the industry." He expressed further concern saying "I would hate to think that there are parents out there not using sunscreen on their kids because of a report like this that is not based on real science." Representatives from Schering-Plough (Coppertone), Johnson & Johnson (Neutrogena), and Banana Boat also reiterated their products' safety and efficacy. [ [http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/news/20080701/group-sunscreens-effectiveness-hazy] WebMD article "Advocacy Group Says Many Popular Sunscreens Offer Inadequate Sun Protection"]

2007 Farm Bill

EWG operates the farm subsidy database [http://mulchblog.com] , an online searchable database of recipients of taxpayer funded agriculture subsidy payments. The information is obtained directly from the United States Department of Agriculture via Freedom of Information Act requests.

In the 2007 Farm Bill, EWG is advocating for:
*Cutting wasteful spending to profitable large farm operations, absentee landlords, ‘hobby’ farmers.
*Increased support for organic agriculture, the fastest growing sector of the agriculture industry. In August 2007, EWG president Ken Cook delivered a petition of 30,000 names gathered online to Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI).
*Increasing funding for nutrition.
*Increasing funding for conservation.

During the fall 2007 debate over the farm bill EWG produced computer generated Google maps of cities across the country identifying the number of federal farm subsidy checks sent to that area. Acting-Secretary of Agriculture Chuck Conner used the maps during speeches and with the media as he advocated for fundamental reforms to the farm subsidy programs.

Who owns the West?

EWG has used computer mapping tools [http://www.ewg.org/sites/mining_google/communities/splash.php?URI=%2Fsites%2Fmining_google%2Fcommunities%2Findex.php] to demonstrate the surge in mining claims near the Grand Canyon, Yosemite and other national parks. [ [http://www.ewg.org/reports/grandcanyon Report: Grand Canyon Threatened by Approval of Uranium Mining Activities | Environmental Working Group ] ] The House of Representatives passed the first update of the nation’s hardrock mining law since 1872 in 2007. The bill, which bans mining claims around national parks and wilderness and imposes the first-ever royalties on minerals taken from public lands, awaits action in the Senate. [Citation
last1 = Mulkern | first1 = Anne C.
title = 136 Years Later, Mine Law May Get Update
newspaper = Denver Post
date = 2008-03-18
year = 2008] EWG staff testified before both the House and Senate during consideration of mining reform. [ [http://www.ewg.org/node/22650 Statement of Dusty Horwitt, JD at Oversight Hearing on Hardrock Mining on Federal Land | Environmental Working Group ] ]

Critiques and Controversies

Involvement in reprimand of John Stossel by ABC

A February 2000 story about organic vegetables on "20/20" included a comment by John Stossel that ABC News tests had shown that neither organic nor conventional produce samples contained any pesticide residue, and that organic food was more likely to be contaminated by E. coli bacteria. The Environmental Working Group took exception to his report, mainly questioning his statements about bacteria, but also found that the produce had never been tested for pesticides. They communicated this to Stossel but the story was rebroadcast months later with not only the inaccurate statement uncorrected, but with a postscript in which Stossel reiterated his error. Then, after the New York Times took note of the error, ABC News suspended the producer of the segment for a month and reprimanded Stossel, who issued an apology over the incident, saying that he had thought the tests had been conducted as reported, but that he had been wrong. He asserted, however, that the gist of his report had been accurate.cite news | last=Rutenberg | first=Jim | title=Report on Organic Foods Is Challenged | publisher=The New York Times | date=2000-07-31 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/library/financial/073100abc-organic.html | accessdate=2007-09-01] [cite news | url=http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=124196&page=1 | title=20/20: Stossel Apology for Organic Food Report | date=2000-08-11 | last=Stossel | first=John | publisher=ABC News | accessdate=2007-09-26] cite news | last=Rutenberg | first=Jim | coauthors=Barringer, Felicity | title=MEDIA; Apology Highlights ABC Reporter's Contrarian Image | publisher=The New York Times | date=2000-08-14 | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9804E3DA133FF937A2575BC0A9669C8B63&sec=health&pagewanted=print | accessdate=2007-09-05] cite news | url=http://www.lewrockwell.com/mcelroy/mcelroy21.html | title=Blaspheming Organic Food: The Persecution of John Stossel | last=McElroy | first=Wendy | date=2000-08-15 | publisher=LewRockwell.com | accessdate=2007-09-26] cite news| url=http://www.ewg.org/reports/givemeafake | title=Give Me a Fake: Stossel Under Fire| publisher=Environmental Working Group | date=2000-09-06 | accessdate=2007-09-26]

Benzene in soft drinks

In 2006 EWG sent a letter to the [FDA] contending that the agency knew about the presence of benzene in soft drinks and suppressed the information from the public [EWG Letter to the FDA Re: Benzene, February 28, 2006, [http://www.ewg.org/node/22007] .] . EWG described the finding of benzene in soft drinks as a "clear health threat" without providing any rationale why the presence of benzene in soft drinks at low parts per billion (ppb) levels should be considered as such a threat. Both [FDA] and the Health Protection Branch (HPB) in Canada agree that low ppb levels of benzene found in these products did not and do not constitute an imminent health hazard. [ [http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/benzltr.html] FDA Letter to EWG] . A second letter in April 2006 [FDA Data Undercut Public Safety Assurances by Top Agency Official, April 4th, 2006 [http://www.ewg.org/node/8777] ] found that 80% of diet sodas tested from 1996-2001 in FDA's Total Diet Study [Total Diet Study, U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Created June 1991, Updated July 2008, available at: [http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~comm/tds-toc.html] .] had benzene levels above the 5 ppb, including one at 55ppb and a regular cola at 138 ppb. FDA found the analytical procedures used in its Total Diet Study to be faulty and released preliminary results of updated testing [Data on Benzene in Soft Drinks and Other Beverages. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Created: May 19, 2006, Updated: July 12th, 2007, available at: [http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/benzdata.html] ] . Furthermore, the Agency continues to work with industry to reduce the formation of benzene in beverages below the drinking water standard of 5 [ppb] .

Finances and Funding

For Fiscal Year Ending December 2006, EWG raised nearly $3.6 million and spent $3.2 million [http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8564] . Over 84 cents out of every dollar go towards EWG's actual programs [http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8564] . EWG's IRS Form 990 is available on GuideStar. As of March 2008, EWG reports 30 staff members [http://www.ewg.org/about/staff] with its president Ken Cook earning $192K per year in 2006 [http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=8564] .

Most (78%) of the funding comes from foundations, and a partial list of 25 major funders is available on the organization's website [http://www.ewg.org/about/funding] . 18% of the budget comes from individuals, with the rest stemming from interest, small sales, and consulting for other organizations.

Challenge to 501(c)(3) Tax Exempt Status

On February 8th, 2002, the Bellevue, WA based Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise filed a complaint with IRS Commissioner Charles Rossotti, claiming that the EWG's "excessive lobbying and politicking" activities are "clearly illegal and should (at a minimum) result in revocation of the organization's tax-exempt status."

The complaint charges that the group hid its political-lobbying expenditures, failed to register as a lobbyist in California, submitted false or misleading reports with the IRS and acted as a political-action organization in violation of Section 501(c)(3) rules. Ron Arnold, executive vice president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, stated that "The Environmental Working Group is not what it seems. Its goal is not protecting the environment. Its goal is power--political power." [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1571/is_9_18/ai_83699668] [http://www.undueinfluence.com/worldnetdaily.htm]

References

See also

*Sustainability
*Biodiversity
*Global warming
*Ecology
*Earth Science
*Natural environment
*Deb Callahan

External links

* [http://www.ewg.org Environmental Working Group official website]
* [http://www.activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/113 Profile on ActivistCash.com]