Friday, August 15, 2014

INFORMATION ABOUT THE LAWSUIT

LA Times: Suit alleges shoe boxes contain ingredients in rat repellent

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-shoebox-lawsuit-20140423-story.html

Courthouse News Service: Shoebox Company Takes Beef to Court

More information will be posted as it is gathered.

WHAT IS ALLYL ISOTHIOCYANATE?

Allyl isothiocyanate is a chemical that has been identified as having the following potential health effects:

Eye: Causes eye irritation. Lachrymator (substance which increases the flow of tears).
Skin:
May be fatal if absorbed through the skin. May cause skin sensitization, an allergic reaction, which becomes
evident upon re-exposure to this material. This material is a vesicant, that is, it will induce blistering. Causes skin
irritation and possible burns. Prolonged exposure may produce blisters.
irritation and possible burns. Prolonged exposure may produce blisters.
Ingestion: Harmful if swallowed. May cause gastrointestinal irritation with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Effects may be
delayed.
Inhalation: Causes respiratory tract irritation. May cause asthmatic attacks due to allergic sensitization of the respiratory
tract. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation.
Chronic: May cause reproductive and fetal effects. Laboratory experiments have resulted in mutagenic effects.

Link to Pesticide info: http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC34

and is:

A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant; Tear drawing; May cause skin sensitization; May cause liver injury; [ICSC] "The vapor is lacrimogenic and can cause keratitis which interferes with vision." [HSDB] Toxic by skin contact and ingestion; A vesicant--causes burns; Lachrymator; May cause pneumonitis and pumonary edema after inhalation of high concentration; [MSDSonline] Reported occupational adverse effects are cutaneous allergy and severe respiratory tract irritation; Threshold for respiratory irritation is about 4 ppm; [AIHA]

Link to Hazardous Materials publication: http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/category-details?id=2626&table=copytblagents

and is classified as a poison that:

Can cause serious or permanent injury

and is listed as a hazardous substance by the NJ Department of Health:

Allyl isothiocyanate is used in animal repellents:

Allyl Isothiocyanate has also been used as a chemical for crops:

Link to: Biofumigants and fumigants being assessed for tomato crops

http://www.agannex.com/crop-chemicals/biofumigants-and-fumigants-being-assessed-for-tomato-crops

From Pesticides database:

And is a chemical even used in defense sprays:

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

THE PETITION IS UP. SIGN NOW TO SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT!

Stop using unapproved and potentially harmful chemicals like rat repellent in shoe boxes.

Sign the petition today!

Most shoes shipped to the United States travel long distances by cargo ship, and need protection from moisture, mold and fungus. In order to prevent this problem, certain shoe companies are placing chemically treated stickers inside shoe boxes that help to prevent mold and fungus. These stickers fail to identify the potentially dangerous, harmful ingredients they may contain and are marked simply with the words “anti-mold”. Although stickers are supposed to be tested and registered with the EPA to protect consumers, many shoe companies are using unregistered, unproven, and untested materials with potentially harmful chemicals like rodent repellent or rat repellent in their shoe boxes.

Since they are used at top retailers such as Wal-Mart, Saks, Macys and Whole Foods, Nordstrom’s, Dillard’s, Bon Ton, Belk, Amazon, Zappos, TJX, Footlocker, and other retailers; and in popular brands like ECCO, Coach, Aerosoles, Born, Vera Wang, Rocket Dog, Minnetonka, Kenneth Cole, Calvin Klein, Liz Claiborne, Roxy, Eurosoft, Sofft Shoe Co., Isola, and Softspots, consumers and workers have a false sense of comfort and security. In addition to containing the shoes worn by children and adults, these boxes are often later used to store baseball cards, family photos or even small pets. These are simple everyday acts done with no knowledge of the potentially harmful toxins contained in an unassuming sticker affixed inside each box.

Given the potential dangers for our kids and our pets we believe that it is critical that all materials placed in shoe boxes for shipping should be properly tested and approved by the EPA for safety. We believe that many companies using these unapproved products are not even aware of the dangers, and would change if made aware of the risk to our safety.

Please use this petition to let the shoe manufacturers and retailers know to stop using unapproved and harmful chemicals in shoe packaging. SIGN NOW!

Friday, June 20, 2014

STOP SHOE COMPANIES AND RETAILERS SUCH AS WAL-MART, KENNETH COLE, SAKS, MACYS, WHOLE FOODS, AND OTHER RETAILERS FROM PUTTING RODENT POISON IN OUR SHOE BOXES!

STOP SHOE COMPANIES AND RETAILERS SUCH AS WAL-MART, KENNETH COLE, SAKS, TOMS, WHOLE FOODS, AND OTHER RETAILERS FROM PUTTING RAT REPELLENT IN OUR SHOE BOXES!

Did you know that many brands of popular and expensive shoes, including infant and children’s shoes arrive in the U.S. inside boxes containing chemicals which is an active ingredient in rat repellent? Please take a moment to call the retailers below and ask them to stop now.

Here’s the inside story: most shoes shipped to the United States travel long distances by cargo ship, and need protection from the sea environment. In order to prevent damage, shoe companies place chemically treated stickers inside shoe boxes to help prevent mold and fungus. These stickers are supposed to be tested and approved by the EPA as safe, but most are not. These unapproved chemical stickers fail to identify the potentially dangerous, harmful ingredients they may contain and are marked simply with the words “anti-mold”.

Consumers like you are subjected to potential dangers when shoe companies use unregistered, unproven, and untested chemical stickers in their shoe boxes. We need to stop these unapproved chemical stickers from entering our homes.

Unapproved chemical stickers are used in top retailers like Wal-Mart, Kenneth Cole, Saks, Macys, TOMS, Whole Foods, Nordstrom’s, Dillard’s, Bob Ton, Belk, Amazon, Zappos, TJX, Footlocker, and other retailers; and in popular brands such as:

• Aerosoles

• Born

• Calvin Klein

• Coach

• ECCO

• Eurosoft

• Isola

• Kenneth Cole

• Liz Claiborne

• Minnetonka

• Rocket Dog

• Roxy

• Sofft Shoe Co.

• Spoftspots

• Vera Wang

Consumers and workers handling these materials have a false sense of comfort and security.

These boxes are often later used to store baseball cards, family photos or even small pets.

LA Times: Suit alleges shoe boxes contain ingredients in rat repellent

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-shoebox-lawsuit-20140423-story.html

These stickers come in a number of colors, sizes and names – so how does the consumer know which are registered with the EPA and which are not?

Unapproved shoe box stickers contain ingredient in rat repellent

According to news reports, one ingredient of these antimicrobial stickers not registered with the EPA is allyl isothiocyanate, a chemical used in rodent and insect repellents, in crop chemicals and fumigants, and in defense sprays.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY!

Please call the retailers below. Tell them to ask their suppliers to stop buying shoes packaged with unapproved chemical stickers.

CONTACT THE RETAILERS

Wal-Mart

William S. Simon

President and CEO, Walmart U.S.

william.simon@walmart.com

(479) 273-4000

Doug McMillon

President and CEO, Walmart International

doug.mcmillon@walmart.com

(479) 273-4000

https://twitter.com/Walmart