All right, so we’ve been saying over and over again on this blog how regulation needs to improve. Too many potentially harmful chemicals are getting into the products we use every day. So far, we’re just not sure how much these chemicals may be harming our health, but we do keep reading about studies connecting chemical exposure to cancer risk, and we’d love to see our government agencies more closely examining the products manufacturers put on the shelves.
Well, apparently it’s not just our regulatory agencies at fault. It seems our very laws are out of date. According to the “Washington Post,” there’s a federal provision that allows manufacturers to keep secret many of the chemicals they’re using in their product formulas. The policy was designed over three decades ago to help companies develop their own products in a highly competitive industry. By today’s standards, however, this law is out of date, and it’s time to change it. As long as it’s in place, not only are consumers in the dark about what’s in our products, but so are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Food and Drug Administration, and all other regulatory agencies.
Specifically, the law says that manufacturers have to report to the government new chemicals they intend to market, but they don’t have to reveal the information to the public-or to regulation committees, medical professionals, and emergency response personnel-if doing so may harm their bottom line.
This is a loophole that manufacturers are using to the hilt. According to the Post, 95 percent of the notices for new chemicals sent to the government in the past several years have requested some secrecy. We’d like to believe most of the chemicals being reported were perfectly safe, but the EPA says that many pose a “substantial risk” to public health or to the environment. “It’s impossible to run an effective regulatory program when so many of these chemicals are secret,” said Richard Wiles, senior vice president of the Environmental Working Group.
Fortunately, Congress is set to rewrite chemical regulations this year for the first time in decades. The EPA has also announced a coming list of “Chemicals of Concern” which will itemize those chemicals that may present a risk of injury to health or the environment. One of those chemicals is phthalates, which we’ve discussed in previous posts. “The American people are understandably concerned about the chemicals making their way into our products, our environment and our bodies,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “We will continue to use our authority under existing law to protect Americans from exposure to harmful chemicals and to highlight chemicals we believe warrant concern.”
This is all good news, and we’re happy to see our lawmakers responding to the concerns we consumers have long been talking about. At Cinco Vidas, we urge you to keep going-keep using your purchasing dollars and your voices to help us keep this change moving forward. Read labels, buy safe products, and write to your representatives. We’d love to see a day in the future where we have many more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and most of all, safe products available to us all.
What do you think of this secrecy law? Please share with us.
Photo courtesy Aleera via Flickr.com.
