Misleading Labels About Green Government Agencies

When we discuss Green issues at Ventless Gel Fireplace, it occurred to me that there is some confusion between the agencies that monitor and pass legislation concerning gel fuel and clean air solutions. Advertisers and other content writers throw around such agencies as OSHA, EPA and even agencies like USDA and DOE. But, they often cite the wrong agencies and just expect readers to believe whatever information they are given.

I have always had a pet peeve when it comes to the media splashing false information across all of our communication transits with absolutely no responsibility for the verification of facts. What makes it worse is that there are readers out there who will simply believe the information they have just read and then repeat it everywhere they go. It seems the quickest way to get information to move is to make it outrageous and false.

Winston Churchill once said, "A lie can get half way around the world before the truth has time to put its pants on." While I'm talking about it, that's something you should verify. There is other information that you should verify as well and as far as I'm concerned, that should be every time you hear about a product that passes OSHA regulations or a company that is within EPA standards. If you verified the information, you would soon learn how false it is. A company that makes false claims either has no idea what they are talking about and you don't want to do business with them or is making a smokescreen for the laws they are breaking and you don't want to do business with them.

OSHA

OSHA stands for Occupational Safety and Health Administration. It's an agency that was enacted in 1970 under the Department of Labor. Its only purpose is to work toward preventing illnesses and injuries in the workplace. So if you are looking at a can of gel fuel and you see that it is in compliance with OSHA regulations, I would have to say that the label is lying to you and that's no way to start a long and respectful business relationship.

EPA

A closer agency that might be considered responsible for ensuring human and environmental safety when it comes to gel fuel is the Environmental Protection Agency. But, "might" is the operative word. It is feasible to believe that the EPA would pass regulations concerning the use of gel fuel in and outside the home. But if the label on a can of gel fuel makes that claim, you have been lied to once again.

The EPA does not handle all environmental concerns. The overlapping scope of different government agencies throws people off when they are looking for answers as to who regulates what. But, the EPA does not deal with the safety of products used in daily life. If a company has a claim that their products meet EPA standards, the company itself should know which regulations it is responsible for following and it should not be attempting to mislead you.

CPSC

So, who handles regulations for products that fall outside of Food, Drugs, Tobacco, Firearms, and Alcohol? Of course there are other products too, but our gel fuel specifically falls under the scope of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. With such strong language in their mission statement as, "...charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction."

The CPSC finds within its jurisdiction, among other things, products that pose a fire or chemical hazard. Not to be confused with HAZMAT, which deals with the transportation of hazardous material or IHOP, which is the International House of Pancakes. If you see either of these acronyms on the label of a can of gel fuel, then you know the company is making false claims and your best bet is to not do any business with them.

There are literally hundreds of agencies in the government and it seems they grow by the day. It's easy for companies to throw out an acronym of a particular agency and expect label readers to just accept the label as trustworthy. After all, doesn't it seem that the government also has an agency established to verify facts on labels?

Well, you would think. But, the fact is that companies are still getting away with false advertisement. So, make sure you know the facts and keep your family safe. Verify everything you read and don't do business with a company that attempts to mislead you.