Unacceptable chemical environment standards

Only a few hundred of the 20,000 chemicals in everyday use have been tested for their impact on health and the environment and this is unacceptable, Environment Minister Michael Meacher said recently.

Mr Meacher announced a government strategy to deal with new ways of identifying and tackling harmful chemicals in common use in our daily life. The Strategy recognises that commercial chemicals are crucial but that they carry risks as well as benefits. "Sustainable Production and Use of Chemicals - A Strategic Approach", aims to - ensure safe and sustainable use by reducing the risks presented by chemicals to the environment, while keeping their benefits to society; - phasing out chemicals when the risks to environment and health are too great; and - making detailed information on risks more widely available.

Mr Meacher said: "I believe that assessing the risks of chemicals already in use is taking too long. The UK Chemicals Strategy which I am launching sets out how we intend to speed up this process. It also indicates how we will take action on the chemicals which clearly pose a serious or irreversible threat to our environment. Such chemicals should be phased out without having to wait for years for a full risk assessment. We want to achieve these aims in partnership with the industry, and with all those who have an interest in the manufacture and use of chemicals. The government recognises how much the industry has already done, and is committed to doing, to improve the safety of chemicals."

Michael Meacher said the new UK Chemicals Stakeholder Forum would bring together all those groups with an interest in the impact of chemicals on the environment and human health to advise Government on Chemicals policy. The Chemicals Strategy sets out the Government's proposals to avoid harm to the environment or to human health through environmental exposure to chemicals. It forms part of the Government's wider policies for encouraging sustainable development. The Strategy builds on a consultation paper issued last year Sustainable Production and Use of Chemicals and the more than 100 responses which the Government received. The focus of the Strategy is on the impact of chemicals produced in high volumes on the natural environment, including wildlife and exposure of people via environmental routes including food and drinking water. It focuses on chemicals entering the environment through marketing and use.

The Strategy does not address emissions during manufacture or as waste, the marketing and use of chemicals which are biologically active (e.g. pesticides) exposure to chemicals in the workplace or transport of hazardous goods. These are or will be covered by other control regimes. An EC Regulation in 1993 introduced a scheme for assessing existing chemicals. However, progress has been slower than anticipated and the conclusions of only 4 risk assessments have been published to date. This lack of progress has been recognised by the international chemical industry which has agreed to prepare hazard assessments of about 1,000 chemicals produced in large quantities by 2004. The European chemical industry has agreed to go further and produce initial risk assessments for chemicals of concern. The Government's new strategy will focus on ways of speeding up assessments and prioritising chemicals for assessment and action to reduce risks.

Key elements of the Strategy are:
+ a precautionary approach - chemicals which cause an unacceptable risk to the environment must be phased out.
+ Better information - slow progress in assessing the risks from chemicals and secrecy about the results is no longer acceptable.The strategy sets out the ways in which this will be improved, through voluntary agreements with industry, backed by legislation if progress is not satisfactory
+ More transparency - a new Chemicals Stakeholder Forum to be set up by Summer 2000. It will involve representatives of all those groups with an interest in the impact of chemicals on the environment and human health. It will advise on the selection and assessment of chemicals of concern and on action to be taken about the risks they pose. All its papers will be publicly available.