Wednesday 4 February 2004 - News - Health and safety
Protection from hazardous chemicals strategy
The Government has published
a consultation document aimed at protecting human health and the
environment from hazardous chemicals.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it was seeking views from industry, environmental groups, health and safety professionals, retailers and others on revising the 'UK Chemicals Strategy'.
The document, entitled "Protecting People and the Environment from Hazardous Chemicals", sets out proposals to tackle the "negative impacts" caused by some synthetic, or man-made, chemicals and in particular deals with those chemicals not covered by "positive approval regimes", said DEFRA.
Around 30,000 chemicals are produced in quantities of more than one tonne in the EU about which scientists know very little. The UK Chemicals Strategy, published in 1999, was intended to help establish procedures to tackle a huge backlog of untested chemicals.
It also established the UK Chemicals Stakeholder Forum - a broad-based group which examines risks to the environment and human health from industrial chemicals and which advises the Government on chemicals policy.
A DEFRA spokesperson said: "A large part of the need identified for a UK Chemicals Strategy arises from the slow nature of existing European legislation. Proposals for a new regulatory system known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals) are presently being negotiated by European Member States.
"This will provide faster, more effective risk identification and action but REACH is unlikely to take full effect for a number of years."
Johnny Thomson
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it was seeking views from industry, environmental groups, health and safety professionals, retailers and others on revising the 'UK Chemicals Strategy'.
The document, entitled "Protecting People and the Environment from Hazardous Chemicals", sets out proposals to tackle the "negative impacts" caused by some synthetic, or man-made, chemicals and in particular deals with those chemicals not covered by "positive approval regimes", said DEFRA.
Around 30,000 chemicals are produced in quantities of more than one tonne in the EU about which scientists know very little. The UK Chemicals Strategy, published in 1999, was intended to help establish procedures to tackle a huge backlog of untested chemicals.
It also established the UK Chemicals Stakeholder Forum - a broad-based group which examines risks to the environment and human health from industrial chemicals and which advises the Government on chemicals policy.
A DEFRA spokesperson said: "A large part of the need identified for a UK Chemicals Strategy arises from the slow nature of existing European legislation. Proposals for a new regulatory system known as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals) are presently being negotiated by European Member States.
"This will provide faster, more effective risk identification and action but REACH is unlikely to take full effect for a number of years."
Johnny Thomson
