Don’t take our word for it. Here’s every fact on this site, with its evidence grade, its caveats, and a link to the source, so you can check us.
We start you on the strong ones: findings that have been replicated or come from one large, well-controlled study. Moderate and weak facts are here too, labeled for what they are. Use “Link to this fact” to share a single card.
What you can do / Government agency
Banning or phasing out a single chemical can measurably cut human exposure within a few years: after the US residential ban on the insecticide chlorpyrifos in 2000, New York children's blood levels of it fell significantly within a year and to less than half within two years, and after the US phase-out of leaded gasoline, children's average blood lead levels (NHANES data) fell sharply over the following decade.
Strong evidence: These are well-documented US regulatory case studies (chlorpyrifos, lead); the report does not claim the same speed of decline for every banned or restricted chemical.
Source: WHO/UNEP 2012 Link to this fact
What you can do / Other evidence
A US food that contains a chemical preservative must list its name together with a statement of its function, such as 'preservative', 'to retard spoilage' or 'a mold inhibitor' (21 CFR 101.22(j)).
Strong evidence: Exemptions apply under 21 CFR 101.100 and 101.22(d)-(f).
Source: 21 CFR 101.22 (eCFR 2026), Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Section 101.22 (eCFR) Link to this fact
Information, not medical advice. See also: myths we won’t tell you.