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Article posted Thursday, July 1, 2010 2:47pm

“Why Is It…?” was designed by Dr. Steiner to address readers’ questions about human behavior from a social psychological perspective in order to inform and stimulate dialogue about the ways in which our thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by the presence of other people. Dr. Steiner holds a Ph.D. in Applied Social Psychology. In addition to working as a university educator over the last 17 years, she conducts individual and group consultations in matters of social relationships and behavior. Readers are invited to submit their questions anonymously in one paragraph or less to Dr. Steiner at [email protected].

Q: Why is it that our country continues to market and sell products that are known to be harmful to us? I just heard a report about additives in sunscreen that are dangerous! If a product has known health risks, why do companies and government agencies allow them on the market?

A: The issue raised by your question has been a serious concern of American society for decades – highlighting an underlying motivation and unscrupulous lust for money and capital gain. The plethora of harmful products flooding our “free-market” economy represents a tragic violation of ethics, consumer protection and trust.

Growing up as Americans, we’re taught to be proud that we live in the greatest nation in the world. We’re taught to honor and revere our civil rights and liberties and are reminded to dutifully honor those who lived and died to secure our democracy as “free” citizens. But what we’re not told is how we are utilized as natural resources by corporate interests to ensure the continuation of healthy profit margins.

And while corporate profits bask in vitality and continued growth, the consumers on which they depend are succumbing to the ailments and diseases associated with their product usage. Although the risks associated with cigarettes are well documented, they’re continually manufactured, marketed and sold – despite their deadly and addictive qualities. From alcohol to fast food and carcinogenic additives, we’re offered a steady diet of products that lead us down the road to ruin. Framed as beneficial, protective or “family friendly,” advertisers seduce our stressed and overworked lifestyles with product promises of increased leisure, beauty, pleasure and success.

Perhaps the latest in the long line of consumer assaults has come in the form of sunscreen products designed to protect us from the sun’s damaging rays. And while millions purchase and apply these products to themselves and their children in an effort to prevent skin cancer – we now learn that the ingredients added to sunscreen are now thought to actually accelerate the growth of skin cancer cells! So let’s get this straight. A product is marketed and sold under the guise of protecting Americans from a disfiguring and potentially fatal disease – while possessing chemical additives that actually feed the disease they claim to prevent?

Known as nano-particles, these atom-sized particles of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (standard fare in many popular brands of sun screen) have now been linked to increased growth of skin cancer, autism, epilepsy, and genetic alterations in unborn children. Due to their minute size they are able to pass through the pores and be absorbed into the blood stream with traces detected in urine and amniotic fluid.

In researching your question, I learned that the FDA and Consumer Safety & Protection Commission have known about these damaging effects for over a decade – but have done nothing to prevent the marketing and sales of these products. While France, Germany and the UK have now placed strict regulations and/or bans on these additives, the United States has allowed their continued sales and usage to go unfettered.

Some may argue that consumers have the right to avoid any product that may cause them harm (the “guns don’t kill people – people kill people” argument). However, in the case of sunscreen products, most labels contain no information or warnings to would-be users, violating the principles of informed consent and self-determinism – basic ethical obligations that even psychologists must abide by.

Rather than addressing the question of “Why is it..?” – allow me to pose the question of “What if…?” What if the things we’re encouraged to buy and do and believe are actually harmful to us? And what if the harm caused to us is strategically designed to generate additional profits from the medical care and pharmaceuticals we will inevitably require. What if ensuring our well being, liberty and pursuit of happiness simply isn’t as profitable as our collective rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer?

Sound radical? Perhaps. But in a country governed by corporate interests and monetary worship, the only Anti-American sentiment here is the blatant and measureable disregard by those who willfully exploit the safety of their own citizenry in favor of their bottom line.

We must wake up to the systematic injustices that plague our daily lives and take a proactive stance. Caveat emptor – let the buyer beware – no doubt. But perhaps it’s time to flex some consumer muscle and reverse the adage to our own advantage. Caveat venditor – let the seller beware!