Do most Americans want the government to ensure that the goods they purchase are free of dangerous chemicals?
According to a recent survey, they are indeed willing to pay more to receive that assurance of safety.
According to Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, which conducted the study, “in a time when most subjects are politically polarised, the issue of keeping people safe from dangerous chemicals finds significant agreement among Democrats, Republicans, and Independent voters.” The survey was ordered by the University of California, San Francisco’s (UCSF) Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE).
More than 90% of those surveyed wanted the American government to mandate that before products were approved for sale, they must be checked for dangerous substances and proven safe. 1,200 responses from eligible American voters were obtained during the survey’s run from May 25 to June 5.
The study discovered:
- 63% of voters strongly agreed—a position shared by 92% of voters—that the government of the United States should require businesses to demonstrate the safety of their products before selling them.
- Voters generally agreed—93% of them strongly—that businesses should do a better job removing dangerous chemicals from consumer items.
- 88% of respondents agreed that businesses need to improve their efforts to remove plastics from consumer goods and decrease their use of plastic packaging.
- In the study, 76% of Americans expressed concern about how chemicals and plastics contribute to climate change.
- 54% of those surveyed believed chemical laws should be stronger, while 21% thought they should be about right and 10% thought they should be too strong.
- The Toxic Substances Control Act makes it simpler to restrict or outlaw dangerous chemicals to better protect those who are most vulnerable, such as children, pregnant women, and those who live close to polluting factories: 56% of voters strongly favoured the law, which received 89% of the vote.
- 93% of respondents agreed, with 57% strongly agreeing, that it’s critical to remove dangerous chemicals from areas where people live, work, and attend school, even if doing so raises the price of some goods. Similar numbers agreed that it is crucial for businesses to avoid including dangerous chemicals in ordinary products, even if doing so raises the price of the goods.
- All of the substances covered in the poll raised concerns among voters, but those that they consumed, drank, or inhaled ranked highest. However, they were unaware of how the mechanism for controlling chemicals functions.
- The majority of respondents (49%) incorrectly claimed that chemicals in food and consumer items have undergone safety testing.
“People assume that what they buy is safe, and that almost never is the case,” said Tracey Woodruff, director of the PRHE at UCSF and a professor of obstetrics, gynaecology, and reproductive sciences. “The good news is that this study demonstrates resounding support for the government to do a better job of safeguarding people from dangerous chemicals,”
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More information about chemicals in consumer goods can be found at the Environmental Working Group.
SOURCE: Oct. 11, 2022, University of California, San Francisco news release
