TOXIC TOYS—Keith Feikema of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund speaks at a Phoenix news conference to alert parents and other consumers of baby products containing toxic chemicals.

Report Documents Toxic Chemicals In Baby Products

In October the Arizona PIRG Education Fund released a report, “The Right Start: The Need to Eliminate Toxic Chemicals from Baby Products.” Our work with accredited laboratories found dangerous, carcinogenic chemicals in teethers, bath books, and sleep accessories that cause developmental disabilities in children.

“Unfortunately, parents do not have the information they need to adequately protect their children from toxic chemicals,” said Keith Feikema, of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund. “Our government should ensure that parents have this information, and ultimately, remove toxic chemicals from children’s products.”

For a tip sheet and other information, parents and others interested can visit www.safefromtoxics.org.

Arizona PIRG Education Fund Joins Climate Change Group

The Arizona PIRG Education Fund’s executive director, Diane E. Brown, was appointed to the Transportation and Land Use Technical Work Group of the Arizona Climate Change Advisory Group. The Arizona Climate Change Advisory Group was created by Gov.Napolitano to establish an inventory and forecast of greenhouse gas emissions and to form an action plan to reduce those emissions.

One subject for the advisory group will be the Arizona PIRG-backed Clean Cars program. State PIRGs have established similar Clean Cars programs in eight other states, requiring automakers to install existing technology to cut global warming emissions and produce a minimum number of advanced-technology cars. The advisory group is expected to make recommendations to the governor by June 2006.

Study Finds Consumers “Locked In A Cell”

Nearly half of cell phone customers surveyed would consider switching service if it were not for high “early termination” fees. That’s the key finding of a state PIRG survey of 1,000 cell phone customers nationwide, the results of which were released on Aug. 11. The fees, which average $170 per phone, are a hindrance to real competition within the industry.

“High termination fees are anti-competitive and a significant disincentive to consumers who want to shop-around for better or cheaper cell phone service,” said PIRG’s Deirdre Cummings, one of the authors of the report.

Cummings and other PIRG advocates have called on cell phone companies to end the fees and on regulators to give cell phone customers some of the same basic protections enjoyed by users of land-line phones.

Changing A Light Can Save Money And Energy

Gov. Napolitano declared “Change A Light, Change The World Day” on Oct. 5, 2005, following the proclamation of July 2005 as ENERGY STAR Month. Both events highlighted products that use less energy, reduce air pollution and lower energy costs for homes and businesses.

The Arizona PIRG Education Fund joined the governor’s office and others to promote ENERGY STAR products. According to the U.S. EPA, by replacing the five most-used fixtures with ENERGY STAR products, consumers can save more than $60 a year in energy costs. In addition, greenhouse gas emissions would be lowered by more than one trillion pounds—equal to the emissions of 8 million cars—a $6 billion energy savings for Americans, and the energy from more than 21 power plants.