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Opinion ~ After systemic failures in Government Safety, How safe are the products we use?
I don't like some aspects of design. Some stories make me cry. The news of the toxic lead pollution incident in Flint Michigan brought tears to my eyes. I felt helpless and overwhelmed. With the science we have today, these accidents seem to impact me more because they don't have to happen.
Gambling with the lives of others angers me. Is taking uninformed chances with people's lives the ultimate in entitlement? Do some even know better? Can dysfunctional bipartisan politics in government endanger the public? The arrogance of private industry coupled with the seemingly blind stupidity of government can have deadly results or, in this case a lifetime of mental health damage for these children. I hope the mayor's children don't live in daddy's city. Sad, isn't it?
Without quality safety design, seems we are just flying blind. Oopsie? Is it time to take the dangerous toys away from the lawyers and politicians? Can science get a veto vote? It would save lives. Installing a water system that gives a town lead poisoning is horrible. Science needs a yellow card, a red card and a big VETO stamp!
In Canada, we have had many recent disasters that should not have happened. The safety systems, in Canada, were weakened by the Stephen Harper Government. I could list a whole bunch of companies here, but I'll just pass. Some corporations are starting to sue people for damages they caused? They sue people, try to muzzle them, harass them, try to take them to court, or try to bankrupt honest citizens. Do they think they can apply game theory risk to everything? Seems there are few places to hide human slavery, these days. Wink, wink!
One thing I can talk about is toxic beauty — it's one thing to talk about specifics in safety failures — they can sometimes be prevented, it's another to talk about the things you have no control over, nor even see, not* even by our Government of Canada. A failing bridge is easy to see and understand. A broken toxic tailings pond is even easier to understand. The most toxic of them all is toxic beauty — the stuff we cannot see.
Toxic beauty is something we need to understand better. Yes, we need to think deeper about the everyday products that we use, every day. If the safety for the things we can see is failing, what about the safety of the stuff we cannot see? Too many questions?
Toxic beauty is easily seen, after years of activism, in products that used plastic microbeads. Initially, they were a marketing hit — a cheaper alternative and "futuristic innovation" for the traditional ouch-y exfoliator. The psychology of beauty design runs deeper than your skin, and directly into your brain!
Thankfully, the makers of microbeads, etc., voluntarily removed them from the market. They probably would be open to future litigation if they continued using them, so marketing spins the bad things into good things and moves forward. Evolution takes time! But, what about the mess they made spinning in giant ocean gyres?
Toxic beauty isn't as always easy to see. Sometimes the toxic secret hides deeper behind the beauty it purports. A recent safety warning on toxic cadmium in some fashion jewelry was announced.
A few big box brands were mentioned, but in reality, these are only the resellers. The resellers that got caught, that is. In manufacturing, the materials that are sold may contain things way, way worse than peanuts — there is a whole group of toxic metals that hurt our neurology and our biology. How safe are the other products we use? We have had warnings already about women's beauty products — lipsticks, etc. Seems we are good at reporting the stories, just not fixing the problems. How safe are the materials? How will new Stephen Harper Government trade agreements protect these companies?
If the current synopsis of disaster in Canada is any hint, it seems all safety in Canada is only skin deep, at best. Our safety systems need a complete make-over — too many blemishes on too many safety records reveal this just isn't skin deep, it goes deeper.
Enjoy!
P.S. — The beauty you help create will always outshine the fake beauty of luxury brands. The science shows that some prefer a natural look over a fake one. Try it!
* — not at the moment.