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California Fruit Giant in Chaos as CEO Steps Down Following ‘Highly Toxic’ and Deception Claims
California berry giant Driscoll’s is shaking up its leadership as CEO Soren Bjorn steps down from the top job amid a growing legal storm over allegations that its strawberries contain toxic “forever chemicals.”
Brie Reiter Smith, the company’s board vice chair and great-granddaughter of Driscoll’s co-founder, will take over effective immediately, the Watsonville-based company announced Tuesday.
“While I may not have followed the traditional path to this role, no one believes in our company’s mission more than me,” Smith said. “The team Soren has assembled is the best we’ve had, which is a real testament to his leadership and vision.” Bjorn, who joined Driscoll’s in 2006 and became CEO in 2023, will remain with the company during the transition and help with key strategic priorities.
Is Toilet Paper Bad for You? Here’s What Experts Say
Toilet paper has become a hot topic online. You don’t have to look hard to find videos of health-conscious influencers warning about supposedly harmful ingredients in toilet paper. But how concerned should you be? Not very, most experts agree. But some also say that TP is worth examining more closely.
Studies have found some concerning chemicals in toilet paper. A 2023 study looking for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in toilet paper found them in 21 brands from around the world. Also known as “forever chemicals,” PFAS exposure has been linked to reproductive issues in women, developmental delays in kids, an increased risk of some cancers, and more.
A 2019 study in Ghana found “elevated levels” of phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors that may cause developmental and reproductive harm, in toilet paper. That research also found polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are associated with cancer, and semi-volatile chlorinated organic compounds, which have also been connected to cancer and reproductive harm, in toilet paper.
New Research Reveals the Fertilizer Companies Profiting Off Iowa Nitrate Pollution
Amidst growing calls for industrial agriculture pollution regulation, new research released today by the environmental group Food & Water Watch reveals how fertilizer corporations are profiting off worsening nitrate-driven water pollution and cancer crises in Iowa.
Nitrogen fertilizer use and water pollution have increased in lockstep since Iowa’s voluntary Nutrient Reduction Strategy was introduced in 2013, purportedly to reduce waterway nutrient loads. Since then, nitrogen fertilizer distribution in Iowa increased 25%. Today, Iowa has some of the nation’s highest waterway nitrate concentrations linked to cancers, birth defects, and more.
Up to 97% of nitrogen in the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers, drinking water sources for over 500,000 Iowans, comes from agriculture — 40% comes from chemical fertilizers alone. The new research details how the fertilizer industry is cashing in on this worsening nitrate crisis, at the public’s expense.
New Illinois Law Removes Certain Chemicals From Makeup and Personal Products
Illinois is adding regulations on certain ingredients in cosmetic products under the Chemicals in Cosmetic Products Act, going beyond federal requirements. The law, signed by Governor JB Pritzker, applies to makeup, hair, nail and tanning products, soaps and lotions, as well as perfumes and colognes. The regulated ingredients include chemicals such as formaldehyde and mercury.
Elizabeth Strusz, founder of E² Salon in Carbondale, said the salon has always had high expectations for the products and ingredients they use. “When I sit down and interview people to bring those lines in, I’m asking them, ‘What have you removed in the last five years? Where has your education come from?’ Because I want to know that whatever I’m offering, the people that come in my company is of the highest grade,” she said.
Strusz said there have been pushes within the beauty industry to move toward cleaner products, and she sees the new rules as catching up with that shift. “I think in some ways there has been a lot of calls in the beauty industry to further us to be able to explore cleaner ingredients and be able to have more understanding, both as a cosmetologist, like as in my profession, but also as consumers,” she said.
Environmental Group Sues EPA Over Cleveland Area Industrial Pollution Standards
A national environmental group is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over air pollution rules for major industrial facilities in the Cleveland area, saying the agency approved weaker pollution limits even though stronger pollution controls were available.
The Natural Resources Defense Council filed the lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on Tuesday, challenging the EPA’s approval of Ohio’s plan for limiting smog-forming pollution in Greater Cleveland.
The EPA approved pollution limits for 10 major industrial facilities in the area even though stronger pollution controls were available, NRDC claims. According to the filing, the agency relied on studies submitted by the companies but did not require the stronger controls those studies showed were possible.
Some of the facilities named include Cleveland-Cliffs’ Cleveland Works, PPG Industries, Lubrizol, Henkel and Owens Corning. “EPA had a choice between corporate convenience and Clevelanders’ lungs, and it chose to prioritize polluters’ bottom lines,” Abi Vijayan, a senior climate attorney with NRDC, said in a statement. “The technology to cut this pollution exists, it’s affordable, and the law requires it. This is an abandonment of the EPA’s most basic duty.”
