Corporate Shenanigans of the Day
A reader whom we respect a great deal writes:
I live in Tobias Read's district. I got a glossy mailer today from a group called "Citizens for Fire Safety Institute" urging me to contact Rep. Read and urge him to vote against SB 596. "Help Stop Legislation in Salem that Will Put Families at Greater Risk for Fire Tragedies." SB 596 is a ban on certain flame retardants that poison people. Of course this group is calling for "further study." Thought you might be interested and able to find out who this citizens group actually is -- probably chemical manufacturers.This is a pretty easy one to figure out, with just a Google search. Here they are in Maryland. And in New York. And Minnesota. And Hawaii.
Big businesses will do whatever it takes to protect their money, kids. It's what they do. Your health could matter less.
| Posted at 9:57 AM | Permalink |
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Comments (12)
I got that piece of dreck too, and I was furious. The flame-retardants at issue are showing up in huge and fast-rising concentrations in osprey eggs all along the Columbia.
(Ospreys are perfect indicator species for water quality issues for a number of reasons, including the fact that they typically clutch three eggs, of which only two hatch -- so you can grab egg #3 and use it to see what Mom eats.)
I think every one of the funders for the Citizens for Fire Safety Institute people should have to drink an ounce of their products for every one of those flyers sent out.
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | June 17, 2009 11:28 AM
I am curious. What flame retardant are we talking about?
Was that flame retardant once mandated for use by the same government that now wants to ban it?
Posted by davidg | June 17, 2009 12:09 PM
speaking of helping our fellow Americans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhfzvzKm_xk
Posted by ecohuman | June 17, 2009 12:21 PM
It looks like SB 596 is headed for passage. It passed the senate 22-8. In the house, it came out of Environment and Water committee with a "Do Pass" recommendation. Yesterday the Rules committee gave it a "Do Pass" recommendation also. You can see measure history at this link: http://www.leg.state.or.us/09reg/pubs/senmh.html
Posted by Mike Fearl | June 17, 2009 12:24 PM
Here's Audubon's info on the bill and the fire retardant in question:
http://www.audubonportland.org/issues/statewide/596
Posted by Chris | June 17, 2009 12:36 PM
Third item down...
http://wweek.com/editorial/3532/12714/
Posted by James Pitkin | June 17, 2009 2:52 PM
Chris and James, thanks for the info on the product to be banned. The articles you cite, however, make it look suspiciously like these are products which were originally mandated, but now are being banned.
Makes you feel good that the government is protecting us all, eh?
Posted by davidg | June 17, 2009 4:02 PM
I haven't looked at all of the links and info provided by other bloggers, but one has to realize that the science advances, sometimes at a furious rate, regarding these chemicals. Remember the history of DDT. We learn certain chemicals travel more readily through the food chain; others are more pernicious in their effects; still others last seemingly forever in the environment. Since the system will probably never change, so that we learn all of these effects before a chemical is allowed into use, we have to be vigilent in studying the effects after said chemical is introduced into the environment.
Posted by umpire | June 17, 2009 5:38 PM
I got a robo call tonight from "a former fire marshall". Grrr.
Posted by Tom | June 17, 2009 6:43 PM
This guy?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g_arzPICEA
Posted by Jack Bog | June 17, 2009 6:45 PM
Davidg, you can bet your bottom dollar that, if in fact there were mandates to use the products, that the same bastards who are fighting their removal from the market were instigators and lubricated the passage of the must-use laws with a generous flush of cash.
Besides, I'd rather a government admit a blunder and reverse a policy than try to pretend omniscience by refusing to undo a mistake. I'll take protection by government over the tender mercies of the corporations any day.
Posted by George Anonymuncule Seldes | June 17, 2009 11:04 PM
..."[]our health **couldn't** matter less."
Posted by Lex DeNovo | June 18, 2009 1:23 PM