Imagine a factory releases a chemical into a river. Nobody gets sick right away. Decades later, cancer rates climb in nearby towns. Connecting that harm to the original pollution is painfully slow — and that is exactly what makes toxic substances such a stubborn economic challenge. In this chapter, we explore why traditional regulation often falls short, how information and liability can fill the gap, why some communities bear a heavier burden, and how rethinking the whole material cycle can help us design toxics out of products from the start.