76-18-A7

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TRIS

Transcript A few years ago, the farmers of America were victims of a middle-of-the-game rule change by government that left them holding the bag. And the bag was filled with unsold wheat. They had been told by the Department of Agriculture to plant fence-row-to-fence-row; to raise all the wheat they could and sell it on the world market, which meant, in reality, sell it to the Russians. With the wheat harvest in, the government--under pressure from the hierarchy of organized labor--stopped the sale. The financial hardship was monumental. There is another case -- this time not involving farmers -- that could mean bankruptcy for some members of the business community. This one involves the self- appointed protectors of the consumer who ride in like vigilantes to ban the sale of anything they even suspect might endanger consumer health and safety. Some time ago, the Consumer Product Safety Commission decided the possibility of small children accidentally setting their sleepwear on fire was a risk so deadly that immediate action had to be taken. The action involved a chemical flame retardant called "Tris". The Commission virtually compelled the makers of children's sleepwear to impregnate the fabric with tris. There is no way to estimate the cost as concerned parents replaced their children's clothing, or the even greater loss to merchants who shelves were filled with merchandise that had been made before the Tris order. But patient parents went along if it added to the safety of their children. So, pretty soon, all the tots were protected against accidental ignition. The textile industry and the merchants accepted in good faith the government's assurance that Tris was the answer. But now, that same government has discovered Tris might cause cancer in the children wearing the sleepwear. The ban is immediate; no Tris-treated sleepwear or clothing can be made or sold. What happens now to wholesalers with warehouses filled with unsaleable merchandise? Then there are the retail merchants with the same problem. Do they return the merchandise, putting all the burden on wholesaler or manufacturer? And, of course, Mama can only empty the dresser drawers and start buying again. We are talking about a $200 million loss which must be borne by someone. If business can weather this economic jolt, the $200 million will eventually have to be recovered in the price paid by the consumer. Of course, if the threat is real, no price is too high to protect our children, but the cancer risk in tris is extremely small. This is another saccharin case. There is no record of anyone contracting cancer, no deaths to report and science says the supposed risk is estimated at a possible four in 10,000. Compared to tobacco or alcohol (both of which can be sold), the threat to health from Tris is minimal. And remember, Tris isn't something the industry dreamed up with profit in mind. It was a government idea and a panic decision of the kind we are getting altogether too familiar with these days. The Consumer Protection Commission, so sure the fire risk was immediate, asked no questions about Tris except, was it a fire retardant? Now comes the cancer possibility and against emergency action is ordered -- clear the shelves, stop production! But what abut the original emergency -- the fire hazard? They haven't found a substitute fire retardant. In other words, we're back where we were in the first place with the kind of sleepwear we've always had -- except that hundreds of millions of dollars have been lost for which government accepts no responsibility. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening.		Details Batch Number 76-18-A7 Production Date 08/15/1977 Book/Page N/A Audio Youtube? No
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