Toxic chemicals have made their way into our food, our clothing and our communities—places they shouldn’t be. One in three people in the U.S. lives within the danger zone of a hazardous chemical facility.

Shell Refinery in Louisiana
Clara Smith, 96, stands at the window of her home looking out at a Shell oil refinery just a couple of yards away.

Toxic chemicals have no place in our homes, our clothes, or our food. And yet there they are, polluting our water, air and soil and threatening our health. Protecting people from the harmful impacts of toxic chemicals is key for the health and safety of communities everywhere.

The Threat of Chemical Disasters

Chemical incidents occur frequently in the U.S.

In 2013, an explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas killed 15 people, injured hundreds, and leveled an entire neighborhood. There have been more than 400 chemical incidents since West, Texas. Disaster after disaster has made it clear: unsafe chemical plants are a hazard to communities and a long-term threat to health.

Chemical plant incidents like this are deadly, but they’re preventable.

Learn more about the risks of chemical disasters.

Industrial Pollution at Home and Abroad

Toxic chemicals are in way more places than they should be—our homes, our clothing, and our waterways to name a few. Not only do the products themselves contain harmful chemicals, but the companies that make them routinely pollute our natural resources with their waste.

Learn more about how companies are polluting our waterways.