Today an impressive coalition of European environmental, consumer, health, and women's groups presented Europe's most widely supported submission to the European Commission's consultation on future chemicals law. The submission was presented to European Commissioner Wallstrom by a coalition of the European Consumers Organisation, European Environmental Bureau, European Public Health Alliance, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Women in Europe for a Common Future, and WWF in the last week of the consultation on the draft directive on the proposed REACH legislation.
The Declaration for a Toxics Free Future, signed by over 22,000
people as well as a wide-ranging collection of public interest
organisations, calls on the European Commission to protect health
and the environment from hazardous chemicals. In addition to the
coalition of groups presenting the Declaration, it was also
supported by organisations including the Netherlands' Council of
Women, the German Childbirth Association, and the British Allergy
Foundation.
The coalition presented the Declaration to Commissioner
Wallstrom with the demand that the Commission listen to the people
and accept their submission as part of the ongoing Internet
consultation on the draft legislation, ending on July 10. The
Declaration asks the European Commission to ensure that its new
REACH legislation on chemicals includes
* an obligation to phase out and substitute chemicals that
accumulate in wildlife, humans or the environment, and those that
disrupt hormones. Restricted uses of such chemicals should only be
permitted temporarily, if safer alternatives are not available, and
the use is essential to society;
* a full right to know, for both consumers and businesses,
including what chemicals are present in products;
* a requirement that products imported into the EU have to
conform to the same safety standards as those made in the EU.
The widespread contamination of people and wildlife with
man-made chemicals is well documented: 300 man-made chemicals have
been found in the bodies of people with no special exposure to
chemicals; and many man-made chemicals have been founded in house
dust and rainwater.
A recent report by eminent UK scientists [1] confirmed the need
for a fundamental reform of chemicals policy, with one of its
authors stating "Given our understanding of the way chemicals
interact with the environment, you could say we are running a
gigantic experiment with humans and all other living things as the
subject". This report also endorsed the importance of substituting
the worst chemicals with safer alternatives.
In addition to the 22,000 citizens calling for strong EU
legislation on chemicals, a separate declaration in favour of REACH
has been submitted by over 60 US organisations (including the
Communications
Workers of America and The Breast Cancer Fund) and signed by
more than 10,000 US citizens. In order to make REACH work for civil
society, European Environmental Bureau, Friends of the Earth,
Greenpeace and WWF are also submitting detailed joint comments to
the Commission's consultation which ends on July 10.
VVPR info: Greenpeace International Picture Desk, John Novis, Tel: +31653819121
Notes: 1. "Chemicals in products. Safeguarding human health and the Environment", UK Royal Commission on Environment and Pollution, June 2003. http://www.rcep.org.uk/chemicals.html