Protecting the Air in Paramount

In August 2020, CEH reached a final settlement agreement with the metal processing company Anaplex Corp., which for decades had been releasing dangerously high levels of hexavalent chromium (hex chrome) into the predominantly Latinx community of Paramount, California without warning residents. Hex chrome is known to cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive harm, and damage to the kidneys, lungs, eyes, skin, liver and respiratory system.

Everyone deserves to know what is in the air they breathe in their neighborhood. The settlement requires Anaplex to reduce emissions if pollution exceeds mandated levels and also allocates additional funding to purchase air filtration systems for families closest to the facilities. CEH continues to provide residents of Paramount with a number of resources, including an online pollution tracker that synthesizes local air regulator data so community members can easily access information about the hex chrome levels monitored in their neighborhoods.

“It’s our and our children’s lungs and bodies that bear the consequences of these industrial operations in our community. We are battling dual crises of environmental pollution and coronavirus. While we are encouraged in this moment, we know we have more work to be done in the fight for justice.”
- Sonia Olmos Teacher, Paramount School Board

Fighting E-Cigarettes in the Era of Coronavirus

In 2020, COVID-19 exposed the underlying conditions that can make a seemingly healthy person vulnerable to this ferocious disease. At CEH, we have been fighting for years against one important contributor to lung disease: vaping. E-cigarettes are a nearly $7 billion uncontrolled experiment on our children’s health. CEH could not stand by and watch this public health threat. In 2015, just as e-cigarettes came onto the market, CEH tested 97 products from every leading U.S. brand and found that many had high levels of cancer-causing chemicals. We took legal action against more than 60 companies with two goals: 1) stop them from marketing to teens, and 2) force them to reduce or eliminate formaldehyde in e-cigarettes. Most agreed to our demands in 2016, but in 2018, the e-cigarette company JUUL violated our agreement. In late 2019, CEH reached a landmark settlement with JUUL that mandated strong restrictions on their underhanded teen marketing practices while also reducing formaldehyde. Children should never be targeted by companies whose products make them sick and cause irreversible harm. Our legal actions have protected countless young people from weakening their lung function and becoming the youngest victims of the virus. Today, and every day, CEH will continue to fight for the future health of our children.