Defend Our Health

Background

Defend Our Health was initially founded in 2002 as the Environmental Health Strategy Center (EHSC), a Maine-based group focused on environmental health and chemical policy advocacy. ⁵ The organization claims that its early work focused on state-level campaigns addressing chemical exposure in consumer products and industrial practices, but later expanded to efforts to other states and at the federal level.² In 2020, the organization rebranded from EHSC to Defend Our Health to reflect its decision to “double down on building the grassroots power needed to advance environmental health and justice.” ⁵

Advocacy

PFAS Regulation

Defend Our Health has been involved in Maine’s policy debates over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals,” and was part of the coalition that helped push Maine’s 2021 PFAS products law establishing reporting requirements for products containing intentionally added PFAS and setting a phaseout framework for most uses by 2030. ^{6  7}

The organization later opposed efforts to weaken or delay that law, including legislative and administrative proposals that would have narrowed the definition of PFAS or delayed reporting requirements for manufacturers. ^{8  9} Additional reporting by Maine Public found that Defend Our Health actively participated in stakeholder discussions with legislators over proposed changes to the law while opposing broad exemptions sought by business groups and manufacturers. ¹⁰

In January 2024, Defend Our Health released an analysis of manufacturer reports submitted under the law and claimed that nearly 1,000 products sold in the state contained PFAS, including cookware, cosmetics, school supplies, and pet products. ¹¹ In March 2024, the organization released a second analysis of additional reports and criticized industry-backed efforts to repeal or narrow the state’s PFAS product law. ¹²

In 2021, Defend Our Health deputy director Patrick MacRoy called on the state to prioritize active farmland as Maine developed a testing plan for sites potentially contaminated by PFAS. ¹³ In 2022, Defend Our Health was a signatory on a coalition letter urging the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to reject an industry-backed request for a blanket delay in PFAS product-reporting requirements. ¹⁴ In 2024, the organization’s campaign manager, Adam Nordell, testified before the Maine Legislature in support of measures relating to medical testing and in opposition to bills the group argued would weaken Maine’s PFAS laws. ^{15  16  17}

Defend Our Health has also worked closely with government agencies in Maine and, in January 2026, reported that certain cookware and other products were still being sold by major retailers despite the state’s PFAS ban, referring its findings to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. ¹⁸ Later that same year, the organization criticized the Maine Board of Pesticides Control after it approved pesticide products containing fluorinated chemicals that advocates argued should fall under Maine’s broader PFAS definition. ¹⁹

Drinking Water

Defend Our Health’s campaign materials state that it has pushed for expanded testing of wells and public water systems and for stricter regulation standards for both private and public drinking water. ^{20  21} The organization has supported legislation intended to expand well-water testing and stricter regulation affecting households that rely on private wells. ²²

In January 2026, Defend Our Health staff member Sergio Cahueque submitted testimony in support of LD 2115, a bill that would impose regulations on private wells, arguing that Maine should respond more aggressively to the risk of contamination affecting drinking water. ²³

In May 2025, Defend Our Health criticized the second Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency for rolling back or delaying portions of federal PFAS drinking water regulation, describing the move as “harmful to Maine families” and “inconsistent with the scientific evidence on PFAS exposure.” ²⁴

Food Packaging and Food Supply

Defend Our Health’s campaigns page states that it has worked on initiatives alleging the presence of toxic chemicals in food processing, packaging, and preparation, including campaigns calling for stricter regulations on chemicals in food production and PFAS in takeout and fast-food packaging. ²⁵ The organization’s milestones and victories pages claim that Defend Our Health played a role in the passage of Maine’s 2019 Safe Food Packaging Act, which restricted PFAS and other chemicals in food packaging and established a framework for additional limits on “chemicals of concern” in food-contact materials, a law that Defend Our Health Action, the group’s advocacy wing, has described as a “first-in-the-nation” legislative victory. ^{26  5  27}

The organization claims that its Toxic-Free Food campaign collected more than 100,000 petition signatures aimed at urging Kraft Heinz to change its packaging processes due to concerns about chemical contamination. ⁵ Defend Our Health has also publicized research on chemicals in cheese powders, baby formula, and other foods, and in 2023, it co-authored and promoted a study that reported chemicals in a range of conventional, organic, and infant food products. ²⁸ The organization is also a member of the Coalition for Safer Food Processing and Packaging, which it describes as a “national alliance of nonprofit organizations” conducting broader advocacy for stronger regulations of food-contact chemicals. ^{29  30}

Left-of-center public interest law firm Earthjustice announced in 2024 that Defend Our Health was one of the advocacy groups suing the Biden administration’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to force reevaluation of authorizations allowing certain chemicals in food-contact materials. ³¹ Earthjustice had previously announced in 2022 that Defend Our Health was among the groups challenging the FDA’s refusal to ban phthalates in food packaging and food-production materials. ³² In 2023, Earthjustice also reported that Defend Our Health joined litigation that resulted in the EPA mandating pollution reporting for the chemical compound DINP under the Toxics Release Inventory program. ³³

Plastics, Petrochemicals, and Related Materials

Defend Our Health’s anti-plastics campaign materials describe polyester and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic as unsafe and unsustainable, and call for reductions in plastics production, the elimination of certain “chemicals of concern” in plastics, and a shift toward alternative materials. ³⁴ The organization’s milestones page also claims that it helped secure a 2020 Maine tax credit aimed at encouraging the production of renewable chemicals as an alternative to fuel-based plastics inputs. ⁵

A 2022 Earthjustice announcement launching the Bloomberg-backed Beyond Petrochemicals campaign listed Defend Our Health among the organizations involved in that initiative. ³⁵ Defend Our Health has also published reports and campaign materials criticizing PET plastic and polyester, arguing that plastics processing can expose children and communities to hazardous substances. ³⁴ The group’s website further claims that it has pushed corporate and government decision-makers to replace plastics-related chemicals, such as bisphenol A, phthalates, and PFAS with “safer” alternatives. ⁵

Legislative Testimony and Rulemaking

In 2021, Defend Our Health’s then-vice president of programs and policy Sarah Woodbury testified in support of PFAS reporting and source-reduction legislation in Maine, arguing that the state should address PFAS as a broad classification of chemicals rather than on a chemical-by-chemical basis. ³⁶ In comments submitted to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection on implementation of the state’s food-packaging law, Defend Our Health’s co-founder Michael Belliveau and then-deputy director Patrick MacRoy supported the designation and phase-out of “chemicals of concern” in food-contact materials. ³⁷ Later, in 2025, Woodbury testified in opposition to LD 1982, a Maine bill that would have changed the statutory definition of PFAS, arguing that it would weaken existing law and undermine the state’s broader regulatory framework. ⁹

In August 2025, Maine House Democrats reported that Defend Our Health joined Maine lawmakers and visiting Massachusetts officials in a State House meeting and farm tour highlighting Maine’s PFAS response as a model for other states. ³⁸ Defend Our Health has also described its work as extending into multiple states and has claimed on its website that it is building coalitions and campaigns across the country that the organization claims “promotes chemical-safety policies.” ³⁹

Other Coalitions

Safer States, a left-of-center national alliance of environmental health organizations, identifies the Environmental Health Strategy Center, now Defend Our Health, as one of the organization’s founders and active members involved in the alliance’s state-based chemical-policy work. ⁴⁰ Defend Our Health has also appeared in public alliances involving farmers, environmental groups, and community advocates arguing for stricter chemical regulations in Maine. ¹⁴

Defend Our Health Action

Defend Our Health Action, formerly known as Prevent Harm, operates as the lobbying and electoral advocacy partner of Defend Our Health and describes its work as focused on advancing chemical-safety laws and political advocacy in Maine. ⁴¹ Its website organizes its work into campaigns on food, water, products, and climate, and explicitly states that contributions to the group fund advocacy intended to advance legislation and influence legislators. ^{39  42} The organization also publishes action-oriented campaign materials calling for stronger regulations on drinking water, fast food packaging, and continued state action on chemical contamination. ^{22  43  44}

In 2022, Defend Our Health Action endorsed Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) for reelection, stating that the organization supported her record on chemical regulatory policy, drinking water, and aid for farmers and well owners impacted by chemical pollution. ⁴⁵ Its website also advertises endorsements and describes the group as working to ensure that elected officials will support its chemical-safety agenda. ⁴¹

Financials

According to Defend Our Health’s 2024 tax filing, the organization reports $819,835 in revenues, $1,755,644 in expenses, and $919,145 in assets. ⁴⁶ The organization’s revenue comes primarily from contributions and grants rather than program services. Publicly available grant disclosures and foundation reports indicate that Defend Our Health has received funding from national philanthropic organizations, including OpenAI’s People-First AI Fund, the Marisla Foundation, and the Cedar Tree Foundation. ^{4  47} The organization has also made grants to left-of-center environmental organizations, including Toxic-Free Future and the Ecology Center. ⁴

Leadership

Emily Carey Perez de Alejo is the president and CEO of Defend Our Health as of 2026. Alejo previously worked at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, managing community partnerships and strategy work connected to cancer screening and “health equity” initiatives.  ⁴⁸

Ruth Hennig is the chair of Defend Our Health’s Board of Directors as of 2026. Hennig previously was a board member of the left-of-center environmental grantmaking organization John Merck Fund and, before joining Defend Our Health’s board, was the fund’s executive director.  ⁴⁸