Chemical Regulation Keeps the Doctor Away

by Josie Raymond · 2010-01-21 12:38:00 UTC
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A great post on Change.org's Environment blog will remind you what you've been trying to forget: everyday chemical exposure (i.e., that computer keyboard, your milk jug, wall paint) is closely related to public health.

An estimated 1% of disease in the United States can be blamed on chemical exposure. What's really frightening is the thought that much of that 1% is preventable. Of the 80,000 or so chemicals produced and used in the United States, at least 70,000 have had no safety testing.

So, unregulated chemical usage equals higher rates of disease equals more demand for health care services equals higher costs all around. Here's a novel idea for health care cost-cutting: test those polymers. It's a little too nuanced for a Senate campaign slogan (eh, Massachusetts?), but it just might work. Get the story.

Photo credit: 10b travelling

Josie Raymond is a Change.org editor who has reported from the streets of the South Bronx, written for several magazines that folded (not her fault) and fixed thousands of typos.
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