Protest in Orcutt calls out toxic chemicals in Dollar Store products

ORCUTT, Calif. - Protesters met outside a Dollar Tree in Orcutt today.

They say there are Dollar Tree locations that sell products with harmful chemicals, exposing low income families to harm right here on the central coast.

A 2022 report from Campaign for Healthier Solutions found products from multiple dollar-store chains tested positive for harmful chemicals.

And earlier this year, the Washington state attorney general forced dollar tree to pay 190-thousand dollars and agree to do a better job of testing its products.

Baking pans, kitchen utensils, headphones, bracelets, and pencil pouches for school are just some of the products outlined by Líderes Campesinas Central Coast as containing toxic chemicals such as lead and cadmium.

“We know that they have a lot of products that they are okay in the you know many people visited frequently this store so our requirement is only be aware of the dangerous chemicals,” says Rosalba Garcia, with Líderes Campesinas Central Coast.

For local low-income families, these products and their lowered prices are essential to daily living.

“These big companies, they have their a store in the poorest community and the poorest area of the community, they establish their store for colored people, fieldworkers, people who are not able to buy expensive products,” says Garcia.

Protesters say risks include reproductive damage, developmental disorders, and even cancer, and that a cheaper product could still come at a high cost.

In addition to the Dollar Tree, businesses like The 99-Cent Store, Five-Below, and Family Dollar have also been identified by Líderes Campesinas Central Coast.

We have reached out to Dollar Tree representatives for a statement and have yet to hear back.

The group hopes to get this message out with today's protest - as families begin to shop for the holiday season.

“There is more farming in this area. They can sell maybe organic or more clean products to our community. Our community is very valuable for us and it will be, moreover, for all the people here in this beautiful area,” says Garcia.

Líderes Campesinas Central Coast hopes to see the Dollar Tree in Santa Maria, as well as Family Dollar in Lompoc simply remove the dangerous products in 2025.