Patrick Moore, co-founder and former leader of Greenpeace and chairman and chief scientist of Greenspirit Strategies wrote an article to the Santa Cruz Sentinel concerning a proposed ban AB 2505 on PVC in packaging. Moore writes that he has been working on sustainability issues for almost 40 years, and says that California legislators must recognize the negative implications of a ban on PVC because they have already exempted a host of products, including packaging for medications. Moore argues that if this ban comes to pass, Californians will forego a safe, affordable, durable and well-researched material in favor of a host of unknown alternatives.

The $33 billion U.S. children's product industry faces increasing state efforts to regulate its products while Congress wrangles over federal rules, which could fuel consumer worries about another slew of safety recalls, according to the Wall Street Journal. After delays in Congress and continued weak federal oversight, 16 states have devised laws that are in some cases stricter than what Congress envisions. Industry lobbyists said the competing rules will confuse consumers, make compliance difficult and encourage multiple actions against businesses.

Consumer product giant Procter & Gamble spent $733,000 in the first quarter to lobby on trade measures, animal testing policies, advertising guidelines and food and drug safety legislation, according to an article by CNN Money which cites a company disclosure form. Besides Congress, the Cincinnati-based company lobbied the departments of Commerce and Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been granted diplomatic approval from China to open three inspections offices in the country that also will help increase China's capacity for safe foods, drugs and medical devices, according to an article by Reuters. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt said that he expects to open the offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou before the end of 2008, with a total staff of nine to 12 people.

European supermarket chains are moving towards carbon labels, following the lead of Tesco, which introduced a carbon label trial earlier this year. As an example, the French supermarket chain Casino has launched a carbon labeling initiative on a selection of its private label products. The labels, which the retailer hopes to have on 3,000 of its products by the end of 2008, show the CO2 emissions related to a products’ production.

Three groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and say it should require manufacturers to disclose chemicals in household products, according to The Washington Post. The Natural Resources Defense Council, the Sierra Club and the Alliance for Healthy Homes have based their lawsuit on a 2007 NRDC analysis of several common household air fresheners. The analysis found that most of the air fresheners contained phthalates.

Wal-Mart is recalling 39,000 Chinese-made key chains after lead was found in the products, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The button, clover, leaf and heart charms on the "Hip Charm" key chains were found to have high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested, the agency said. Wal-Mart recalled 12,000 similar key chains after one of the products was found in the home of a 9-month-old with high levels of lead in her blood. According to the CPSC, the child was seen placing the key chain in her mouth.