In the wake of the Gulf oil spill, Huffington Post columnist Alison Rose Levy wrote a thought-provoking article yesterday on us as passive, trusting consumers whose interests are not being guarded.

“Over time, as health risks of industrial practices and services have escalated, the majority of us carry attitudes formed back in the 1950′s when less was known about health risks, and trust in a protective government seemed less naive than it does today. That’s why we still believe that all unintended health consequences would have been foreseen and sufficiently addressed by government regulations in combination with honest business ethics and practices.”

When endocrine disrupters like BPA were first questioned in the 1990s, she recalls laughing about it. Now BPA safety is under serious study.But still, health-conscious people tend to respond with doubt and inertia when confronted with a possible threat.

What we need to do is band together and demand accountability, she says.

“It’s time to wake up and depart the cocoon where we’ve lain dreaming that someone else is protecting public health. If you care about health, it’s not just about your diet. It’s about all of it.”

I agree that we need to start making our opinions known whenever it becomes apparent that the government has let the interests of business get ahead of public health and safety.  It’s an inherent danger with regulatory agencies, that they may get too friendly with the companies they are regulating. We consumers need to stand up for our own interests and be educated.

And we can avoid products packaged in BPA-containing clear plastic bottles, such as bottled water and soda. We can also avoid food sold in tin cans.  In addition, we can let others know about the health dangers!