Drastic action is needed to weed out potentially dangerous chemicals in
everyday use, British environment minister Michael Meacher warned last week. He
put the onus on industry to do the job.
Announcing a review of British chemicals policy, Meacher said that thousands
of compounds in detergents, paints, plastics and other products have not been
comprehensively tested for their effects on humans and animals. The review may
become the centrepiece of a Europe-wide review launched this year by the
European Union.
Douglas Parr, campaigns director of Greenpeace UK, says a safety audit of
chemicals should be 鈥渢he first step鈥� towards ending discharges of hazardous
substances by 2020, a target date agreed last month by the OSPAR Convention,
which regulates pollution of the northeast Atlantic.
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