A national online survey endorsed by the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that most American voters want the government and businesses to make sure the products they buy are free of harmful chemicals, and they are willing to pay more for it.

“At a time when most issues are politically polarized, the issue of keeping people safe from harmful chemicals finds widespread agreement among Democrats, Republicans and Independent voters,” says president of Lake Research Celinda Lake. 

The majority of the 1,200 respondents surveyed agreed that the government should mandate that items be proven safe before they hit the market. Two-thirds of those polled strongly agree with these principles, and more than 90% favor this requirement.

The survey also revealed:

• The government should insist that items be proven safe before firms are permitted to put them on the market, according to 92% of voters, including 63% who strongly agree.
• 93% of voters agree, and 62% strongly agree, that companies should do a better job of getting rid of harmful chemicals from consumer products.
• 88% agree that companies should do a better job of getting plastic and plastic packaging out of consumer products.
• 76% of people are concerned about how chemicals and plastics contribute to climate change.
• 54% believe chemical controls are insufficient, whereas 21% believe they are adequate and 10% believe they are excessive.
• 89% favor (56% strongly support) the objective of the Toxic Substances Control Act, which is to make it simpler to control or ban dangerous chemicals and to better safeguard vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, children, and those who live near polluting facilities.
• 93% agree (57% strongly) that it is important to remove harmful chemicals from where we live, work, and attend school, even if it raises the price of some products, and similar numbers agree that it is important for companies to keep harmful chemicals out of everyday products, even if it raises the price of some products.

The majority of voters are concerned about chemicals that enter the body through drinking water, food, and food packaging, though this concern extends to all of the chemicals questioned in the study.

Still, they do not know how the system for regulating chemicals works. About half of people (49%) say that the chemicals in food and consumer goods have been tested to make sure they are safe, which is not true.

“People assume that what they buy is safe and that almost always isn’t the case,” adds professor Tracey J. Woodruff. “The good news is this survey reveals overwhelming support for the government to do a better job of protecting people from harmful chemicals.”  

This survey was taken between May 25 and June 5, 2022.

Image Credit: Getty

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