Flaw #2: The government usually takes action only after harm is proven and widespread.

Government decisions on whether to control, limit or ban a potentially damaging chemical or technology are usually a political battle between those citizens who want health protections, the manufacturers or business proponents, and government officials.

For years, business proponents such as chemical companies and other polluters have argued that government must not take action to restrict their use or production of toxins until there is definitive scientific proof of a cause and effect connection between their activities and serious health or environmental harm.

But definitive "proof" of harm is very hard to obtain with current scientific tools.

The lack of scientific proof of harm is too often misinterpreted as proof of safety. When faced with uncertainty, government authorities have erred on the side of allowing harmful pollution and toxins in products. They act only after the damage is quantifiable scientifically and is widespread.