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« I'm in Portland! | Main | Day 1 at the AAEAs »

July 30, 2007

Raise your hand if you're sure...

A ban on Ban?

After a decade of cracking down on power plants in an effort to clean up ozone air pollution, environmental regulators in Ohio this year zeroed in on another culprit - deodorant.

Deodorants, as well as hair spray, car wax and windshield washer fluid, contain small amounts of volatile organic compounds that contribute to making ozone, an ingredient in urban smog.

So the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency put limits on the amount of those compounds in consumer products sold in the state.

My favorite quote:

"We knew the manufacturing industry was already moving [to reduce VOC's in deodorant], so it was a cost-effective strategy for us to pursue," said Heidi Griesmer, a spokeswoman for Ohio's environmental agency.

If industry was already moving that way, do we really need regulation?  Could this be another illusion of action?

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