Home

Welcome to Arizona PIRG Education Fund

What's New

All
News
Reports
Blog

Blog Post | Public Health, Consumer Protection

#KickTheCan: BPA still found in many grocery stores’ canned foods | Dev Gowda

We’re all told to watch out for BPA in drinking bottles and baby products. But how about BPA in the cans that contain our food? A recent study by Center for Environmental Health (CEH) reveals that the toxic chemical BPA is readily found in canned foods. BPAs are often used in the liners of canned food to keep the aluminum from interacting with the food.

News Release | Public Health, Consumer Protection

L'Oréal: Pledge to Be Toxic-Free

Today, Arizona PIRG Education Fund, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (a project of Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP)), and Safer Chemicals Healthy Families delivered more than 150,000 petition signatures calling on the multinational cosmetic giant L’Oréal USA to eliminate cancer causing chemicals and to disclose its secret “fragrance” chemicals.

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Tax

Following the Money 2017: Special Districts

“Special districts” are a type of government agency that exist outside of traditional forms of general purpose local or state governments, and serve key governmental functions such as public transit or housing. However, special districts are poorly understood by the public and often do business without adhering to modern standards of government budget or spending transparency.

News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Tax

Report gives Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement & Power District “F” for Spending Transparency

A new report, “Following the Money 2017: Governing in the Shadows”, released by Arizona PIRG Education Fund found that special districts, like the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, are nationally failing to meet modern standards of spending transparency. The report looked at 79 special districts and graded them based on the accessibility of checkbook level spending data, budget information, and audited financial statements. 53% of all districts analyzed, including the district in Arizona, earned a failing grade.

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Medical Debt Malpractice

Medical debt accounts for more than half of all collection items that appear on consumer credit reports. A review of 17,701 medical debt collection complaints submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) shows that problems with medical debt collection are widespread and harm Americans across the country.

Pages

News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

Letter to Congress: 212 Groups Call On You To Oppose HR 4018 and Support a Strong Payday Rule

> Keep Reading

News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

30th Annual Survey Finds Dangerous Toys on Store Shelves

Dangerous or toxic toys can still be found on America’s store shelves, according to the Arizona PIRG Education Fund’s annual Trouble in Toyland report. The 30th survey of potentially hazardous toys found that, despite recent progress, consumers must still be wary when shopping this holiday season. The report reveals the results of laboratory testing on toys for toxic chemicals, including chromium, which can have serious, adverse health impacts on a child’s development. The survey also found examples of toys that pose a choking hazard, extremely loud toys that can threaten children’s hearing, and powerful toy magnets that can cause serious injury if swallowed.

News Release | Arizonia PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

New Report: Consumers Should Get Security Freezes Before Next Data Breach

> Keep Reading

News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund and Citizens for Tax Justice | Tax

Study: 72% of Fortune 500 Companies Used Tax Havens

Tax loopholes encouraged more than 72 percent of Fortune 500 companies – including companies in Arizona – to maintain subsidiaries in offshore tax havens as of 2014, according to “Offshore Shell Games,” released today by Arizona PIRG Education Fund and Citizens for Tax Justice. Collectively, the companies reported booking nearly $2 trillion offshore for tax purposes, with just 30 companies accounting for 65 percent of the total, or $1.35 trillion. According to the report, offshore tax loopholes used by U.S. corporations cost Arizona $200 million in state tax revenue.

News Release | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Democracy

New study shows potential impact of a small donor matching program on 2016 presidential race

Candidates in the 2016 presidential race would see a dramatic shift in their fundraising, and have a powerful incentive to focus more on small donors under a proposed small donor public financing system, according to a study released by the Arizona PIRG Education Fund. Using candidate filings with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) through July, “Boosting the Impact of Small Donors: How Matching Funds Would Reshape the 2016 Presidential Election” examines the impact of a program that matches small contributions with limited public funds for candidates who agree not to accept large donations.

Pages

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Trouble in Toyland

The 2013 Trouble in Toyland report is the 28th annual PIRG survey of toy safety. In this report, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund provides safety guidelines for consumers when purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards.

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Big Credit Bureaus, Big Mistakes

In this report, we explore consumer complaints about credit bureaus with the aim of uncovering patterns in the problems consumers are experiencing with credit reporting.

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Food Safety Scares 2013

This report offers a snapshot look, from October 2012 to October 2013, at multistate foodborne illness outbreaks identified by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The economic cost of just the multistate outbreaks caused by food products recalled over the past 12 months comes to more than $22 million.

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Consumer Protection

Private Loans, Public Complaints

In this report we explore consumer complaints in the private student loan sector with the aim of uncovering patterns in the problems consumers are experiencing with their student loans.

Report | Arizona PIRG Education Fund | Transportation

A New Way to Go

Over the last 15 years, the Internet and mobile communications technologies have transformed the way Americans live and work. During that same period, growth in vehicle travel slowed and then stopped, with Americans today driving about as much on average as we did in 1996.

Pages

Blog Post | Public Health

Perdue takes the lead! | Anya Vanecek

Perdue announced today that more than half of its chickens are now being raised without any antibiotics of any kind.

Blog Post | Public Health

What do we do after antibiotics? | Anya Vanecek

Science writer Maryn McKenna is a leading voice in the antibiotics discussion. Her TedTalk provided a lot of food for thought.

Blog Post | Public Health, Food

Fast-casual ways to go antibiotic-free | Anya Vanecek

We're calling on Subway to join its peers in helping protect public health by serving meat raised without antibiotics. Who are these peers? Well, we've rounded them up for you.

Blog Post | Public Health, Consumer Protection

“What you don’t have can’t leak:” A political play in three acts | Carli Jensen

The scene: Washington, D.C. The cast of characters: the President, Environmental Protection Agency head Gina McCarthy, the chemical industry, communities, and advocacy groups across the nation.

Blog Post | Consumer Protection

CFPB Adds Consumer Stories to Public Complaint Database | Ed Mierzwinski

Yesterday, the CFPB took a step to make its excellent public database of consumer complaints even better, by adding complaint narratives (stories), but only with the consumer's consent. It's a step we've long urged. It will enrich our research into the marketplace, help consumers make choices and help good-actor firms avoid bad practices by others.

Pages

Trouble In Toyland

Our report highlights the toys that have been recently recalled, explains the hazards they pose, and shines a spotlight on those that may still be available for sale online.

Get the tips
21st Century Transportation for Arizona

Arizona is experiencing a shift in how we travel. We're driving fewer miles per person, and looking more to public transportation to get around.

Learn More
Protect Yourself

We've created consumer tips to help protect you from unfair bank fees, identity theft, loan rip-offs and more.

Get the tips
Why are health experts alarmed?

More than 93% of doctors are concerned about the overuse of antibiotics on factory farms, yet factory farms still use up to 70% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S.

Learn why

Donate
More Ways To Give

Support Us

Your tax-deductible donation supports Arizona PIRG Education Fund's work to educate consumers on the issues that matter, and to stand up to the powerful interests that are blocking progress.

Learn More

You can also support Arizona PIRG Education Fund’s work through bequests, contributions from life insurance or retirement plans, securities contributions and vehicle donations.