No family should have to lose a loved one because of deadly chemicals. Period.

Our son Drew garnered attention with his quick wit, booming voice and incredible smile. When he loved something, he put his full heart into it and did so with focus. His establishment of a coffee business from the ground up with a friend is a perfect example. Drew loved every second of refining his craft and building his business. In October 2017, the lives of family and friends who knew and loved Drew took a dramatic turn.

In a trip to Lowe’s to buy some paint stripper to re-finish a floor in his coffee plant, Drew purchased the chemical that killed him. The next day, he was found collapsed on the floor. The coroner’s autopsy report found that toxic methylene chloride fumes from the paint stripper were to blame. 

To this day, you can walk into Lowe’s and buy the same product that killed Drew—plus numerous others containing the same chemical. So we’re partnering with Safer Chemicals Healthy Families to start a petition to get this dangerous chemical off store shelves.

Drew isn’t alone. According to reports from OSHA and other sources, paint strippers containing methylene chloride have been linked to more than 50 deaths nationwide since 1980. Scientists have linked long-term exposure to this chemical to liver toxicity, liver cancer, and lung cancer.

Last year, the EPA proposed banning methylene chloride and another chemical called NMP in paint strippers, but the agency has yet to act. In Europe methylene chloride was banned in paint strippers in 2012. The EU is also considering banning NMP, which is harmful to women of childbearing age.

Lowe’s is still selling these dangerous products even though there are safer alternatives. How many more people have to die before retailers like Lowe’s take action? 

If you agree that home improvement stores shouldn’t sell dangerous chemicals, please join us in calling on Lowe’s to END their sales of deadly paint strippers now.