You cannot blame representative government for imperialism, that happened under the absolute monarchs more than any.
Imperialism is not a thing of the west either, all cultures have had these problems. If able a group will eventually subjugate others.
Look at mongals, mughals, islamists, ottomans, russia, imperial china, etc. All imperialist as far as they could as autocracies.
Idk about that companies that use toxic stuff always deny its toxic, then if forced to admit it's toxic say it is in amounts too small to affect you.
I certainly would not take their word for it or people they pay to say so.
It has real effects on coral reefs and other areas where people swim and have it wash off in. And there are a range of endocrine disruptors in lots of goods that do have real effects on people even if not quite noticeable. Amphibians are particularly sensitive to them and can wipe out populations in the low parts per billions.