Today, the UK Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published a new report on ‘Toxic Chemicals in Everyday Life‘ following its inquiry into the subject. The EAC declare that “current regulation does not account for the cocktail of chemicals we are exposed to”, and that hazardous chemicals are now “ubiquitous in humans and the environment”. The committee [...]
Brominated flame retardants
On Monday 20th November CHEM Trust participated in a stakeholder workshop on the prioritisation of substances for a major European-wide research programme investigating which chemicals are contaminating our bodies. The European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) is a joint effort of 26 countries and the European Commission, co-funded by the EC research programme Horizon 2020. Running [...]
A report published today by CHEM Trust highlights how chemicals in food and consumer products used in homes, schools and offices could harm brain development in children. The impacts – which may include ADHD and lower IQ – are avoidable and can prevent children reaching their full potential says CHEM Trust, in No Brainer: The [...]
We spend up to 90% of our time indoors – in our homes, our offices or at school. However, studies show that indoor air can be more polluted and therefore worse for our health than air outdoors, as indoor air and dust can contain a number of worrying harmful chemical pollutants. Children, particularly babies and toddlers playing on floors, [...]
Highly persistent harmful chemicals are found in marine animals all over the world. These chemicals are having lasting impacts on the health of wildlife, as even if they are banned they stick around. In addition, there’s now a new problem that is concerning scientists: microplastics from cosmetics and other applications are polluting the environment, and [...]
The hormone disrupting chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in many till (cash) receipts, and the French government has proposed that the EU should ban this use. This proposal has been under discussion in the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA), who have just stated that they agree with the French government that [...]
On 24th March I took part in an event in Brussels, organised by EurActiv, discussing the relationship between the REACH chemicals regulations and the Circular Economy, in particular the interaction between REACH & recycling. The other panelists included representatives of the European Commission (both DG Environment and DG Growth), the plastic pipe industry and an [...]
New research, published today, finds that the costs across the EU of exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals could be over €150 billion annually in health care expenses and lost earning potential. Chemicals with hormone (or endocrine) disrupting properties (EDCs) are present in many everyday products and are frequently used as pesticides, but industry lobbying has delayed [...]
2019 Presentation in parallel session on knowledge building at the EU Chemicals Policy 2030 conference, June 2019 A background paper and one-slide summary presentation by Michael Warhurst in the thematic session on “Knowledge building, monitoring and early warning on emerging risks” at the “EU Chemicals Policy 2030: Building on the past, moving to the future” conference [...]
The brominated flame retardant (BFR) Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) has been used for decades and has turned out to be persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). It has been detected in humans, the environment and wildlife worldwide, including in remote areas. It has been on the REACH candidate list for 6 years and governments around the world have listed it for global phase-out [...]
