Every other year, the National Institutes of Health publish the “Report on Carcinogens,” which lists products that cause cancer. Among those in the most recent report was formaldehyde, found in furniture, cosmetics, building products, carpets, and fabric softeners. Unless we take heroic efforts to avoid this chemical, we are all exposed to it on a daily basis. Indeed, almost all homes have formaldehyde levels that exceed government safety rules. In an effort to shoot the messenger, the American Chemistry Council, which is an industry trade group, lobbied Congress to cut off funding for the “Report on Carcinogens” – not improve it, but defund it. 

Questions: 

1. If you were one of the many companies selling products that contain formaldehyde, what would you do? What would you be willing to pay to provide a safer product?

2. What would Mill and Kant recommend?

3. What ethics traps would you face in making a decision?

4. What Life Principle would you apply?

5. If you were an executive at Exxon, Dow, or DuPont, all members of the American Chemistry Council, how would you react to this effort to hide the facts on formaldehyde?