but only those that might potentially be hazardous or hazardous above specific thresholds,” asserts Ashkin. In our earlier scenario, the ingredient causing the respiratory problems was either not considered hazardous or it was not above recommended thresholds. As a result, it was not disclosed on the MSDS. The Manufacturers’ Point Of View According to the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), current U.S. federal law requires that a product man-ufacturer must include label information only about a product’s potential hazards, ingredients contributing to those hazards, appropriate handling and storage and applicable first aid information. Taking this just a step further and listing all product ingredients should be relatively easy. However, there are stumbling blocks. “Many chemical manufacturers are con-cerned about listing all of their product ingre-dients,” says Mike Sawchuk, vice president of Enviro-Solutions Ltd., a leading manu-facturer of green cleaning chemicals, which does have a full ingredient disclosure policy in place as applicable. “There is the concern that one of their competitors could readily introduce a competing product at a lower price if all the ingredients are disclosed.” Sawchuk adds that many manufacturers determine the charges for cleaning chemi-cals based not only on the ingredients and costs to manufacture them but also on all the time, research and expense to develop them in the first place. “If competitors can easily mimic the product [by knowing the product ingredi-ents], they do not have these expenses, allowing for a more competitive price,” points out Sawchuk. Sawchuk suggests that manufactur-ers should become more transparent and share ingredient information with the end customer. “But, that does not mean they must divulge intellectual property (IP). Without some protections [for IP], the incentives to develop new products will dry up,” notes Sawchuk. Although Ashkin believes end customers have a right to know what is in the chemi-cals they select, he agrees that some sort of checks and balances are needed to protect IP, protect the developers of the product and encourage product inno-vation. “There are organizations such as the CSPA that are working to develop just such a sys-tem,” concludes Ashkin. “Whether this will come about through legislation or voluntary, industry-adopted good practices, we do not know yet. However, I do believe some type of full disclosure program is inevitable.” CM Dawn Shoemaker is a researcher and writer for the professional cleaning, education, health care and hospitality industries. She can be reached at [email protected]. Circle Product Information no. 251 on page 32 www.cmmonline.com 37
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