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Archived press release

Poisoning our children: Britain's toxic chemicals crisis

8 October 1998

Britain's Toxic Chemicals Crisis
Environment pressure group Friends of the Earth (FOE) is demanding urgent action to tackle Britain's toxic chemicals crisis.

FOE has produced a new Briefing Paper, “Poisoning Our Children: The Dangers of Exposure to Untested and Toxic Chemicals”. In a sharp indictment of the chemicals industry, the Briefing Paper shows that:

• Most chemicals have not been properly tested for toxicity
  
  
•  Chemicals which bio-accumulate and persist in the human body are in routine use
  
  
•  Many chemicals disrupt the endocrine, immune and nervous systems of both humans and animals
  
  
• Developing foetuses, babies and children are particularly vulnerable to chemical exposure
  
  
• Breast cancer, testicular cancer and asthma rates are rising sharply, and this may be related to exposure to toxic chemicals.

The Briefing Paper gives shocking examples of the dangerous chemicals that the chemical industry is inflicting on consumers. They include:

• Household organophosphate pesticides that accumulate on children's toys
  
  
•  Toxic chemicals that leach out of children's toys when they chew them
  
  
• Hormone disrupting chemicals released by the plastics of computers and TVs, which contaminate human blood and breast milk
  
  
•  Air “fresheners” that irritate the lungs of mice - and even kill them.

The Government is currently reviewing its policy towards chemicals. Backed by other environment and health organisations including the Worldwide Fund for Nature, UNISON,the Marine Conservation Society, the Women's Environment Network, the Association for Public Health and the Food Commission, FOE is demanding:

• A new licensing system: chemicals should be positively licensed for different uses.Industry should be required to show that new chemicals are safe and that there is a clear need for them
  
  
• The phasing out of persistent and bio-accumulative chemicals. All syntheticchemicals should break down rapidly into harmless substances, without accumulation in the human body, wildlife or the environment. Chemicals that do not meet this test should be phased out by 2010 at the latest
  
  
• Substitution: the least toxic chemical required for a particular application should always be preferred
  
  
• Producer liability: liability for the effects of chemicals should rest with the producer not the public
  
  
• The right to know: the public should have a right to know what chemicals are present in any product and to have access to information on safety
  
  
• An end to marine pollution: Britain must stop discharging dangerous chemicals into the sea by 2020 at the latest, as agreed at the Oslo and Paris Commission meeting in July 1998.
  

FOE is recommending that consumers should take action to avoid exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. Consumers should try to avoid buying:

• Cosmetics and cleaning products containing nonoxynol or nonylphenol ethoxylate(hormone disruptors)
  
  
• Products made of PVC
  
  
•  Products treated with brominated flame retardants, particularly electrical goods such as TVs.
  

Dr Michael Warhurst, chemicals campaigner at Friends of the Earth, commented:

“Our Briefing Paper shows that the chemical industry is playing Russian roulette with the planet. Humans and animals are already suffering damage from toxic chemicals that persist and accumulate in our environment. The Government must crack down on the chemical industry and ban dangerous chemicals. We say that safety first must be the guiding principle.”

Copies of the Briefing Paper “Poisoning Our Children: The Dangers of Exposure to Untested and Toxic Chemicals” are available from FOE, in hard copy and e-mailable (Acrobat PDF†) format.

Poisoning our children briefing (Acrobat PDF† format)

If you are a journalist seeking press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

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