Information from “In Harm’s Way: Toxic Threats to Childhood Development”,
A report by Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility,
May 2000 [7] 

There are about 80,000 chemicals in commercial use in the U.S. today. 500-1000 new chemicals are synthesized each year.

Even basic toxicity information  is missing from public sources, for nearly 75% of the top 3000 high production volume chemicals.

THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE: AVOID UNNECESSARY RISKS

The issue is, we simply don’t know the health effects
of most of the chemicals we use.  In fact, harmful
health effects are rarely understood until serious
damage has already been done.

For excellent reading, look for,
“Why Poison Ourselves ? A Precautionary Approach to Synthetic Chemicals,”
by Anne Platt McGinn.