Thursday, November 08, 2007

Trade Secrets Used To Block Disclosure Of Safety Concern

It’s hard to imagine anything standing in the way of the public’s right to know when a corporation endangers the health and safety of a community. Yet, it happens every day under the guise of protecting a corporation’s “trade secret.”

Here’s a case in point.

California officials refuse to disclose the ingredients of a chemical pesticide sprayed over fields, homes, businesses and schools in Northern California. California say it can’t identify the “inactive ingredients” of the pesticide without violating laws “governing corporate trade secrets.”

Spraying of the pesticide was suspended after residents complained that the initial application caused asthma-like symptoms, burning eyes, rashes and stomach pains. This problem raises a basic question: How can any corporation have a right keep a safety hazard a secret? Read -- Paul Pringle, LA Times 10/18/2007 Read Article: LA Times

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