Disclosing toxic chemicals

By Howard Williams

We all take risks, but accurately assessing them doesn't come naturally to us. From the Gulf of Mexico oil spill to the collapse of the financial sector, people have taken risks without fully understanding their potential impact.

Toxic chemicals present another set of poorly understood risks that can have serious health and environmental consequences. Chemicals policy reform can help us deal with those risks.

American businesses don't always have access to the information they need to make responsible decisions about chemical ingredients in their products. That puts them at a disadvantage in assessing the economic and other risks of the chemicals they use.

Current federal policy does not require companies to disclose chemical ingredients to other companies that use their products, forcing each manufacturer to perform its own expensive chemical content analysis. This also prevents businesses from taking advantage of safer chemicals when they become available.

My company, Construction Specialties, designs and manufactures specialty products for buildings. We aim to lower the environmental impact of the buildings that use our products and to do business in environmentally conscious way whenever possible. Yet we are often hindered by a lack of chemical toxicity data and transparency.

Manufacturers often confront the reality that they do not even know what chemicals are in their products - let alone whether those chemicals are safe for humans and the environment.

The country's current system for managing toxic chemicals, under the 34-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act, has failed to promote the use of safer alternatives to toxic chemicals. Fortunately, Congress is now moving to revise it by considering legislation that would require comprehensive safety data on all commercial chemicals.

The legislation also includes a requirement that all products include a listing of their chemical ingredients. This would tell businesses what chemicals are in the products they buy.

While safety data and greater disclosure are essential, another important element is missing from the legislation. Congress should also require manufacturers to provide consumers with information about chemicals of high concern in their products.

Chemicals policy reform, if done well, will support the market's movement to safer, greener alternatives to toxic chemicals. This is an opportunity for Congress and companies to improve Americans' health and their environment. I hope lawmakers pass these reforms this year.