The Impact of Modern Media on the Use of Chemicals in Consumer Products

The media voice is no longer restricted to newspapers, magazines and television. Modern media is the place of bloggers, activists, social media and independent outlets and it allows stories to permeate places where previously they may have failed to reach. This can have a profound effect on the decisions being taken by brands, retailers and authorities.

The ‘chemical world’ has always been the preserve of the specialist, and this has afforded it a certain amount of protection. Modern mainstream media, however, has broken into this cossetted world and it is forcing fundamental change as these examples show:

The award-winning film, Erin Brockovich, told the story of the contamination of Californian drinking water by a utilities company. For years, wastewater containing the rust preventative, chromium VI, was discharged into the local environment. This then found its way into the food chain, causing damage to the health of local residents. After it was investigated, the resulting legal action led to the largest financial settlement from a direct-action lawsuit in US history. The uproar and the popularity of the movie contributed to the introduction in 2014 of a limit for chromium VI in drinking water of 10 parts per billion (ppb).

In another example, in 2009, the European Union (EU) restricted dimethyl fumarate (DMFu) to

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