CSPA Delivers Industry Voice via Media

CSPA has continued this summer to ensure industry’s voice is heard within the pubic debate surrounding issues of concern to CSPA member companies. CSPA has increased outreach efforts with targeted media while at the same time has responded to the flurry of media activity impacting the industry.

In early August, CSPA President Chris Cathcart sat down with Fortune Magazine’s senior writer and author Marc Gunther (http://www.marcgunther.com/) to discuss a variety of issues facing the consumer specialty products industry.  Gunther posted a blog in response to that meeting and the problem with the abundance of newspapers and websites promoting the dangers of ordinary household products. He concluded: “Whatever your tolerance for risk, next time you read or hear about the dangers of a consumer product, do me a favor–be skeptical, whether it’s industry or a nonprofit group doing the talking.”

On Aug. 12, the book Poisoned Profits was released; to date, it has received very little media coverage. However, on Aug. 19 the authors were featured on National Public Radio’s Diane Rehm show.  Cathcart called into the show and was successful in delivering several positive messages from industry that reached the show’s 7 million listeners.

The University of Washington released in late July a paper attacking air fresheners and laundry products.  CSPA was aware that The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was writing about the release of the paper and reached out to the reporter who was covering it. As a result, the CSPA President was quoted up front in the P-I article, which was also picked up by the Chicago Tribune and other websites. The Washington Post also ran an article on the paper in its Health Section the following week.  CSPA also was successful in placing a letter to the editor from Chris Cathcart in response.

In early August, the Center for Public Integrity – an investigative journalism and watchdog group – published a report on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 6(a)(2) incident reporting system as relates to pyrethrins and pyrethroids.  The report, Perils of the New Pesticides, greatly exaggerates health risks associated with pyrethrin/pyrethroid pesticides as a result of the author’s misinterpretation of the data collected by EPA through its reporting system. Furthermore, the report is accompanied by a searchable online database that includes every reported case to EPA presented in raw data form, such as misuse, abuse, and exposures resulting from attempts at self-harm such as suicides. In addition, duplicate reports for the same incident are included in the raw data because each report is merely added to the data set. Both CSPA and The Pyrethrin Joint Venture (PJV) found the report so egregious that each issued releases on a wire service that day. Both the CSPA and PJV releases were published on more than 150 websites with a potential to reach more than 42 million readers.

While there has been some coverage of the report, it has not been widespread. CSPA’s comments were included in a Bureau of National Affairs article and also in an OMB Watch article.

CSPA will continue its outreach efforts with key media and work toward helping to ensure industry’s voice is heard. For further information, please contact Gretchen Schaefer at 202/833-7311, gschaefer@cspa.org.