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DUST, mites, carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrous oxide, waste
particulate matter and a range of chemicals contaminate our environment.
Fluorocarbons and CO2 emissions have led to atmospheric degradation and
global warming. When we breathe the air, wash your face with soap, brush
teeth, drink water, eat Cornflakes, wear any dress, spray cologne or apply
lipstick, the body will need to deal immediately with a range of chemicals
that are inhaled, ingested or applied to the skin.
The world production of industrial chemicals has risen from 1
million tons in 1930 to 400m tons today. Some 100,000 chemicals are
registered in the EU market with about 10,000 marketed in volumes greater
than 10 tons and a further 20,000 at 1-10 tons. Apart from affecting food
and drink, these chemicals are released directly into the environment from
industry, agriculture, vehicles, aircraft, ships, incinerators and tobacco
smoke. A wide range of industrial goods, domestic equipment, household
products, vehicles, plastic products, plant and machinery contain
chemicals that are a potential risk during use and on disposal.
Chemicals that are not readily broken down by our bodies (vP=very
persistent), those that accumulate in living tissue (vB=very
bioaccumulative) and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are of
particular concern as once inhaled or ingested they can lead to harm that
is not easily detected in the early stages. Some examples include: polar
bears, seals and dolphins suffering decreased immune system function due
to the immuno-toxic effects of accumulated PCBs; dog-whelk populations
decimated because of tributyltin used in antifouling paint applied to ship
hulls to prevent organisms growing on the bottom of boats; UK birds of
prey populations have fallen as a result of DDT, which causes eggshells to
thin.
The European Union defines persistent and bioaccumulative chemical
pollutants as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and the European
Commission has published its proposal on Registration. Evaluation and
Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) to cover testing of these chemicals for
toxicity, registration, publication of data and labelling to warn the
consumer of the dangers. The European Parliament will debate proposal this
year but it is difficult to devise legislation covering a vast number of
chemicals, produced in varying quantities and almost always used in
combination with numerous thers in final products that are marketed. Laws
will have to apply equally to products imported from outside the EU.
Finally, consideration must be given to not only the safety of the
chemical per se but also the safety when combined with a cocktail of
chemicals. Testing for toxicity of thousands of chemicals will involve
hundreds of thousands of experiments. Tests for carcinogenic, mutagenic,
toxic to reproduction and other actions require use of laboratory animals
and the animal welfare lobby is very concerned about the use of millions
of such animals (rats, mice, rabbits). Furthermore, these additional tests
will precipitate a huge cost (£20bn over 10 years) for the chemical
manufacturers and importers. The EU will incur a substantial cost in
setting up the European Chemical Agency to monitor and record the data for
product registration.
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