Chemicals out of control
Governments and industry have failed tocontrol the spread of dangerous chemicals around the globe. Sowidespread are manmade hazardous chemicals in our environment, in ourhomes and in the products we use every day, that we are constantlyexposed to a cocktail of chemicals. As a result, even our own bodiesare contaminated.
Moda sin Toxicos
High fashion isn't normally known for being held in high regard
amongenvironmentalists. But some big names and big brands in
fashion havegotten together with us to put on a
toxics-freefashion show. The clothes we wear, no matter how
expensive,shouldn't cost the Earth.
In our environment:
It nowseems that no part of the planet is free from chemical
contamination.Research shows that fish and whales caught hundreds
of kms offshore,and in remote areas such as Alpine lakes and the
polar regions, despitebeing far from any industry, are no longer
pristine. Rainwater inEurope has been shown to be
polluted with the hazardous chemicals thatare added to consumer
products. A recent study has found that
eels infreshwater ecosystems across Europe are contaminated,
raising concernfor the impact on this once abundant species whose
numbers now are inrapid decline.
In our homes:
Our testing hasfound that
house dust in homes across Europe is contaminated withhazardous
manmade chemicals. Chemicals that are added to ordinaryhousehold
products (including carpets and other furnishings, electricaland
electronic goods, toys and childcare articles, etc.) can bereleased
over time, accumulating in the dust in our homes. Chemicals insuch
products are rarely labelled and you probably don't realise theyare
there. Bringing these chemicals via consumer products into ourhomes
leads to a repeated and long-term exposure to low doses of
thesecontaminants.
In our products:
Hazardouschemicals are intentionally added to consumer products
that we useevery day.
Electronics, toys, shampoos,
perfumes, furniture, even
babies' pyjamas, can all contain substances with the potential
to harmhealth and development. We have tested a wide range of these
productsfor hazardous chemicals. You can read the results of our
testing anddiscover which brands contain the most toxic substances
on our ChemicalHome
website.
In our bodies:
Analyses ofumbilical cord blood have confirmed the presence of
hazardous chemicalsin humans at the very start of life, indicating
that chemicals releasedtoday could have profound consequences for
the next generation. Thisproves that chemicals released into our
environment may have an impacton future generations. No one knows
how many man-made chemicalscontaminate our bodies but more than 100
is a conservative estimate. Sogreat is the number of chemicals all
around us that we're constantlyexposed to multiple doses, the
combined effect of which could beimpacting our health. This effect
of chemicals in our bodies, includingin
our blood, is largely unknown. There's particular concern about
therisks to
children and babies, since they are the most vulnerable,
andbecause some of these hazardous chemicals are known to affect
thedevelopment of babies inside the womb.
The European Union has approved a new chemical law to replaceregulation that is over 40 years old. But the new EU chemicalslegislation (REACH) is in critical condition. Read more analysis or a guide to how you can help strengthen the new law.
We are campaigning for solutions. We believe that politicians must takeaction and require companies to stop using hazardous chemicals and tosubstitute them with safer alternatives whenever and wherever possible.