Officials to Work for More Safety
Chemicals producers and governments have agreed to step up efforts
to push for greater safety in chemicals from lead in paint to
microscopic substances. But non-governmental organizations (NGOs) said
unless the industry and governments come up with more money, agreed
targets for cleaning up chemicals by 2020 were unlikely to be met. A
week-long conference was held at the governing body of the Strategic
Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), which is part
of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The conference
agreed to step up work on five "emerging issues": nanotechnology,
chemicals in products for everyday use, electronic waste, lead in paint
and perfluorinated chemicals.
Juergen Hambrecht, chief executive
of BASF, said the chemicals industry was committed to working with
groups such as SAICM. "We in the chemical industry truly believe that
the global chemical industry is part of the solution for sustainable
society and for a better environment," he said. The industry shared
public concerns about the urgency of cleaning up chemical waste and
making new products safe, but had to be realistic about what could be
achieved, he said. Demands to eliminate the use of further chemicals
under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants,
supported by the sector, must recognise that some targeted substances
were important components for industry, he said. Hambrecht said 80 % of
major producers had signed up to the Responsible Care initiative of the
International Council of Chemical Associations to promote health,
safety and environmental performance. It was now important to bring in
the tens of thousands of small and medium-sized chemicals producers.
