Linguistic Detoxification

The term "linguistic detoxification" is used to refer to a situation where the definitions of toxicity for certain substances are changed through legislation or other government action, or the name of a substance is changed, so that fewer things will come under a particular classification as toxic. THis term was first coined by Barry Commoner, a biologist, ecologist and an environmental activist, beter known for his "4 laws of ecology".

Here are a few such examples:
-Most governments classify some low-level radioactive wastes as "beyond regulatory concern", which permits them to be buried in conventional landfills.
-The United States environment Protection Agency, a government body, has renamed "sewage sludge" to "biosolids". This allows it to be used as fertilizer, despite the fact that it often contains many hazardous materials including dioxin, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and asbestos.
-Even the introduction of the Carbon Emission Trading Scheme may feel good, but it may be counterproductive if the cost of carbon is priced too low, or if large emitters are given 'free credits'.For example the bank MBNA offers an Eco-Logique MasterCard for its customers in Canada. This card rewards customers with carbon offsets every time they buy products using the card. This makes the customers feel that they are nullifying their carbon footprint by purchasing polluting goods with the card. But only 0.5 percent of the purchase price actually goes into purchasing "carbon offsets", while the rest of the interchange fee goes to the bank.