Protests planned at 65 Dollar Tree locations in 26 states.

Dollar Tree is under fire after a report showing many of its products contain toxic chemicals harmful to human health.

On Thursday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m. EST, local shoppers, public health and product safety experts are planning to hold now over 65 nearly simultaneous demonstrations, shopper education events and meetings with store managers of Dollar Tree locations in 26 states. The events, coordinated by the Campaign for Healthier Solutions and conducted by national health organizations and local shoppers, seek to inform customers of dangerous chemicals found in some products sold at Dollar Tree stores and help them make safer choices for their families.

A report published in February 2015 found that some products purchased from Dollar Tree, one of the nation’s largest discount retailers, contained toxic chemicals at levels which may harm customers—especially children. Dangerous chemicals found in these products included lead, phthalates, polyvinyl chloride, chromium, antimony and others. These chemicals are known to cause asthma, cancer, learning disabilities and other ailments. People of color and low-income communities are especially vulnerable to harm from these products as discount retailers are disproportionately located in their communities.

Full product testing results and methodology can be found here: http://www.ecocenter.org/healthy-stuff/reports/dollar-store-report

http://ej4all.org/assets/media/documents/Report_ADayLateAndADollarShort.pdf