California lawmakers are pushing for better state regulation of chemicals believed to be toxic in response to an unusually large number of recent consumer product recalls. More than 25 bills have been introduced, an upswing from previous years. Sierra Club California Director Bill Magavern said "We're seeing more bills in the Legislature dealing with toxic chemicals largely in response to the number of contaminated products that have been found to be on the market".

The state of Connecticut is moving toward establishing limits for lead in children's products. The Senate unanimously passed a bill that would ban products that fail to comply with limits beginning July 1, 2009. The products can include anything designed for children younger than age 12, such as toys, jewelry and furniture that contain asbestos. The state's consumer protection commissioner is required to post on the agency's Web site the list of banned toys and other items.

Climate Counts’ second annual Company Scorecard, which tracked 56 major corporations in well-known consumer sectors, from apparel to electronics to fast food, on their commitment to reversing climate change, found that Google, Anheuser-Busch and Levi Strauss had the largest score improvement from last year, each jumping over 20 points. The food services industry scored the lowest, while the household products sector represented the largest overall sector improvement.

A lawsuit was filed in San Francisco Superior Court targeting many widely known cosmetic manufacturers for deceptively marketing their soaps and lotions as “organic” when they contain relatively little organic material. The lawsuit is evidence of the growing clout of green consumers, particularly in the arena of personal care products. Sales of natural body care products grew from $499 million in 2004 to $685 million in 2006.

An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official told a Senate committee that it's possible there will be no standard set for the amount of perchlorate allowed in drinking water. State officials and water suppliers across the US have been waiting for the EPA to set a standard for several years because perchlorate has contaminated the water supplies of at least 11 million people. Last year, California, impatient with the EPA's indecision, set its own standard.Studies have shown that the chemical blocks iodide and suppresses thyroid hormones.

Minnesota is the first state to ban intentionally-added mercury in cosmetic products. Minnesota will now have a more stringent standard than the federal government, which currently allows a small amount of mercury as a preservative in eye makeup. Minnesota lawmakers say they passed the bill with hopes that other states will also do so, thereby forcing the federal government to ban it nationwide.

Fremont City Council revisited the idea of a citywide ban on plastic bags and polystyrene containers following a presentation of research findings from the Fremont Environmental Services Department. Currently 14 California cities are in the process of banning Styrofoam, including San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Monica and Capitola. Fremont City Attorney Harvey Levine said there is now an initiative moving forward in that city to implement a ban.

Health Canada introduced Bill C-51 in early April, which focused on the safety and monitoring of drugs, food and health products, from clinical testing to the way they are marketed. If passed, it would give the federal government more power to order recalls of unsafe products and impose harsher fines for safety violations. Critics say it would also over-regulate the sale and use of natural health products, which include vitamins, minerals, homeopathic medicines and herbal remedies.

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