today's lunch is chemical soup

Two days ago, I read this article on Alternet about how dangerous everyday objects are because of the chemical used to make them. I'm not just talking Windex and pesticide here. I'm talking electronics, rugs, furniture, clothing, vinyl toys, and shopping bags. The shit that clutters our houses. The article was written to highlight the findings of a new research study conducted by the Safer Products Project (a collaborative of nation-wide environmental public support groups) that found more than 70 toxic chemicals in our household items. You know, the stuff you run through your hair, spray on you skin and find in your kid's mouth on a daily basis. These chemicals are linked to hormone disruption that causes reproductive and developmental problems. They are also associated with allergies, cancer and immune system damage. Yikes.

Part of me wondered if this toxic talk was all an overhyped scare tactic or if there was a real risk behind the claims. And then, yesterday I read this article in the Chronicle, which reveals that Teflon-maker DuPont hid studies showing the risks of a Teflon-related chemical used to line candy wrappers, pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags and hundreds of other food containers, according to internal company documents and a former employee. Busted! Teflon fails at being its own Teflon Don? These are DuPont-sponsored internal studies. Why did they hide these studies? I can't figure out if it's the billions of dollars in profit or the millions of dollars in lawsuits and fines.

The bottom line is that what little research that has been done on the household toxicity and health danger of using Mop n' Glo and air freshener aint gonna show up on the front page of the Washington Post and on nighly news. Both of those news outlets are funded by the companies selling us the stuff. Something tells me that further research is going to remain on the bottom of America's to do list. I hope I'm wrong. Are there enough socially responsible, innovative companies that are willing to take voluntary action to remove hazardous chemicals from the market? Does the government have a responsibility to protect public health by demanding that the chemical industry stop producing chemicals known to cause cancer and reproductive problems? Will they? I guess we'll have to sit quietly, stroking our tumors, and see.