The use of hazardous chemicals in everyday products is an issue near and dear to me.

As it should be to all of us. I mean, we’re exposing ourselves to stuff that makes us sick.

But why? For consumers, who just want to grab the things that are most available to us, the answer is because it’s the simplest thing to do. We buy what is most convenient and cheapest.

For big biz, it’s because it’s the way that makes them the most money.

As scary as the situation already is – fueled by corporate greed, consumer laziness and poor government oversight – there comes new news, from the Washington Post, that makes it that much scarier:

“Of the 84,000 chemicals in commercial use in the United States -- from flame retardants in furniture to household cleaners -- nearly 20 percent are secret, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, their names and physical properties guarded from consumers and virtually all public officials under a little-known federal provision.”

Read the full article, “Use of potentially harmful chemicals kept secret under law,” here.