Yet the regulations that govern chemical use are pathetically weak. Did you know that only 14 per cent of the chemicals produced in the largest amounts (>1000 tonnes per year in Europe) have even a minimum basic set of safety data? There is also no obligation on the chemical industry to properly assess the chemicals they sell, or to use safer alternatives. Clearly, radical changes in the law are needed if people and the environment are to be properly protected.

The EU is currently reviewing how it regulates chemicals, and there is a lot of pressure from Scandinavian countries, as well as health, consumer and environmental groups, to clean up the system. The chemical industry, worth £250 billion in Europe alone, is fighting for business as usual. Friends of the Earth, working with other groups across Europe, is fighting for tough regulation to make sure that the chemicals we use in our homes do not put our health at risk.

What's wrong with the current system?

As the European Commission's Environment Directorate put it:
"There are an estimated 30,000 man-made chemicals currently produced and used, yet, for the vast majority, we have only very limited, if any, knowledge of the risks they present to human health and to the environment. The potential risks are many and can be very serious including cancer, birth defects, disruption of the body's hormone system, damage to vital organs, skin disorders, allergies, asthma, etc."
The current regulatory system does not require safety data to be produced on chemicals which have been on the market since before 1981 (the majority of chemicals). The chemical industry has not bothered to generate this data over the decades it has been selling these chemicals.

Did you know that even minimal information about bioaccumulation exists for fewer than a third of high- production chemicals (ones produced at over 1000 tonnes per year) - although this information can be obtained by simple test-tube experiments?

A blueprint for the future

Since 1999, Friends of the Earth has been building support for a set of agreed policies which would transform the current chemical regulations. The 'Copenhagen Charter' is now supported by environment and consumer groups across Europe. It has five key demands:

1.    A full right to know, including which chemicals are present in products - thus ensuring that all decisions are transparent, and that consumers are allowed to make their own choices.

2.    A deadline by which all chemicals on the market must have had their safety independently assessed. All uses of a chemical should be approved and should be demonstrated to be safe beyond reasonable doubt - thus getting rid of the scandal of un-assessed chemicals, and making sure we aren't exposed to ones we know are risky.

The Swedes have the presidency of the EU until June 2001, and they have already said that chemicals are a priority for them. They already have an excellent chemicals policy of their own. Politicians are now debating how to replace the current system. It is a very rare opportunity for us to achieve big changes and persuade politicians to back the Copenhagen Charter. The chemical industry is currently spending lots of money lobbying the politicians for business (and pollution) as usual. It's up to the rest of us to press for cleaner, less risky options.

What you can do

It is vital that we show UK politicians that the public is behind a shake-up of the regulations governing chemicals. You can make a difference now by showing your MP you want change. Please write to your MP at the House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA. (If you do not know the name of your MP, simply call the House of Commons Information Line on 020 7219 4272).

Tell your MP that you are concerned about risky chemicals in the products you buy . Chemicals that can disrupt the hormone system, or build up inside our bodies, are used regularly in all kinds of products from perfumes to paints. Only 14 per cent of commonly-used chemicals have even a basic set of safety data. Tell them you would like to see the law changed in accordance with the Copenhagen Charter so that:

*    Only the safest chemicals are used, and none are used that accumulate in our bodies

*    The public are told about chemicals in products

*    All chemicals are properly assessed for safety

Ask them to tell you if they support such new legislation. Also ask them to pass on your concerns to the Minister for the Environment (Michael Meacher) and to let you know his response. NB: Michael Meacher will vote with other European ministers to make the final decision on the extent of the new chemical regulations. Please copy any responses that you receive to us (using the contact details below).

Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood Street
London
N1 7JQ
Free phone:     0808 800 1111
Email:     info@foe.co.uk
Web:         www.foe.co.uk/campaigns/safer_chemicals/