Use of potentially harmful chemicals (17,000 roughly) kept secret under law

[babylonsister]

Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law


By Lyndsey Layton
Monday, January 4, 2010


Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision.

The policy was designed 33 years ago to protect trade secrets in a highly competitive industry. But critics -- including the Obama administration -- say the secrecy has grown out of control, making it impossible for regulators to control potential dangers or for consumers to know which toxic substances they might be exposed to.

At a time of increasing public demand for more information about chemical exposure, pressure is building on lawmakers to make it more difficult for manufacturers to cloak their products in secrecy. Congress is set to rewrite chemical regulations this year for the first time in a generation.

Under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, manufacturers must report to the federal government new chemicals they intend to market. But the law exempts from public disclosure any information that could harm their bottom line.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/03/AR2010010302110.html?hpid=topnews

[Echo In Light]

1. It'll be fun to read the posting deluge of Crusading Conspiracy Naysayers on this one

:popcorn:

[lostnfound]

5. They won't bother unless it gets enough attention.

Funny, though!

[midnight]

2. This is welcome. I hope those who are rewriting are not lobbiest....

[dipsydoodle]

3. Charming

:(

[SunriseStorm]

4. One Wonders

One wonders if Congress can be trusted to write new legislation regarding potentially life threatening chemicals given the performance we just witnessed regarding HCR?

Logic dictates that Congress keep the chemicals secret to insure that Insurance company profits do not dip once more Americans understand what is deadly and what is not.

[niyad]

6. welcome to DU--sadly, I no longer trust congress to do anything right.

[Echo In Light]

7. Bump