Chemical Cover Up

The government has conspired with product manufacturers to keep chemical ingredients secret from consumers, putting people's health at risk.

Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 4, 2010

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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.

Government officials, scientists and environmental groups say that manufacturers have exploited weaknesses in the law to claim secrecy for an ever-increasing number of chemicals. In the past several years, 95 percent of the notices for new chemicals sent to the government requested some secrecy, according to the Government Accountability Office. About 700 chemicals are introduced annually.

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