Cancer
scientists call for stronger EU chemicals law
May
12, 2004
Paris,
France - Leading cancer specialists and toxicologists have
launched a worldwide appeal to control chemical pollution
and strengthen proposed EU law known as REACH in a move
to stem the growing incidence of cancers. The appeal was
part of an international Colloquium in Paris on the links
between pollution and cancer.
Scientists and researchers at the Paris
Colloquium organised by French cancer research organisation
ARTAC* gave their support to the Paris Appeal, which will
be presented to the United Nations, the European Union,
and national decision makers at the end of 2004.
Professor Belpomme, ARTAC’s President
and organiser of the Appeal, said, "We are hoping to
raise a million signatures from scientists, opinion leaders
and ordinary citizens".
Professor Epstein from the University of
Chicago supported the appeal saying, "We don’t
need any more scientific studies to tell us whether chemicals
are safe. We need to act now to protect our citizens, and
we need a strengthened REACH".
Scientists, doctors, politicians, and a
range of civil society organisations spoke to a packed room
of over 500 people on the importance of controlling chemicals
and of strengthening REACH. University Professors Richard
Clapp, Marcel Goldberg and Samuel Epstein all laid down
strong evidence of the links between the growing cancer
rates and chemical pollution. So far hundreds of people
have signed up to the appeal since it was launched on 7
May. Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali and
Nobel Prize Laureat François Jacob have both added
their names.
Chemical pollution: a danger to survival
The appeal sounds the alarm that ‘Chemical pollution
represents a serious threat to children and to man’s
survival’.
One of its demands is for REACH to be implemented:
"The EU 2001 REACH initiative details unprecedented
and overdue legislative proposals for the regulation of
industrial chemicals…. this initiative should be strengthened,
rather than weakened."
Professor Epstein said that the EU had buckled
under intense pressure from the EU and US chemical industry
and the US government, so that REACH was now a shadow of
the original version drawn up in 2001.
In giving her backing to the Paris Appeal,
Professor Corinne LePage from the Institute of Political
Studies in Paris, and a former French Government Minister
described it as "a reminder that society has a moral
responsibility towards the environment".
Support for REACH also growing among Northern European industry
This unprecedented scientific support for chemical control
is matched by growing industrial support from Northern Europe.
In March the Nordic Council (Denmark, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, and Sweden) published REACH – a leap forward
for industry which gives substantial support for REACH.
The report showed that of the 28 firms likely
to be affected by REACH, 18 were either ‘generally
in favour’, or ‘neutral/undecided’.
"The overall impression is that the
Nordic industry is not overly worried about REACH,"
according to the report’s authors.
This was backed up on 5 March by Kemikontoret,
the Association of Swedish Chemical Industries, which confirmed
that the EU proposal on chemicals did not pose a threat
to Swedish jobs. Anita Ringstrom, Kemikontoret’s vice
president explained that Swedish industry had already adjusted
its activities to take account of future demands.
Many Swedish downstream users of chemicals
are also now supporting REACH. These include world-wide
names such as Volvo, Electrolux, the Swedish Construction
Federation, Skanska construction companies, and Tetra Pak.
According to Tetra Pak "it is important that our industry
gets sufficient information about the chemical content of
materials and articles that we use; especially when it comes
to food packing".
Support is growing in other parts of Europe
as well. In Britain, Boots, a large retailer, is welcoming
"the development of the revised EU chemicals policy
... including the requirement for data on the safety of
chemicals to be made available".
Also in the UK, a government Consultation
Paper, The new EU chemicals strategy, published at the end
of March this year, estimates that the direct costs of REACH
to the chemical industry will be €3.6 billion over
11 years. This is equivalent to €0.3 billion per year
— a mere drop in the ocean compared to the €50
billion profits of the top 50 European chemical companies
in 2002.
Consumer concern about chemicals drives
the retail sector
Consumer concern over the use of untested chemicals is also
at an all-time high. A European Commission Survey of November
2003, discovered that 93.3 per cent of those surveyed believed
that the use of chemicals had the largest impact on health
of all environmental factors.
This high level of consumer concern is changing
the attitudes of Europe’s retail sector. IKEA, the
multinational home goods retailer, "supports the aims
and objectives of the proposed legislation since it will
help us to get better knowledge and control of the chemical
substances used in consumer articles", it has said.
Major British retailers such as Sainsbury
and Marks & Spencer as well as the British Retail Consortium
(BRC) support REACH, and Marks & Spencer has described
REACH as "a once-in-a generation opportunity".
 |
Support
from workers’ organisations
In
April the European Trade Union Confederation, which
represents 60 million workers in 35 European countries,
adopted a declaration welcoming REACH. ETUC says
that REACH will protect workers from hazardous working
conditions and encourage industry to innovate.
|
In March, the Austrian workers’ organisation,
the Federal Chamber of Labour (BAK), issued its position
paper welcoming REACH as a ‘"major milestone
to extend to users the responsibility for the safe use of
chemicals and to involve users in the chain of communication
at the level of chemicals legislation," and as a way
to "… assure a high degree of protection for
workers, consumers and the environment".
For more information contact, Julian Scola,
WWF European Policy Office, Tel: +32 2 743 8806. E-mail:
jscola@wwfepo.org
* Colloquium on Cancer, Society and the
Environment, organised by ARTAC, Association pour la Recherche
Thérapeutique Anti-Cancéreuse
© WWF
This
news sourced from the WWF site - www.panda.org has been
posted here solely to create public awareness.
