Tens of thousands of chemicals on the market haven't been tested for their effects on human health. Photo: WCWC files.
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
An idea whose time has come
The precautionary principle sets a standard for governments to take preventative action when a
practice or a product creates potentially serious harm to human health or the environment, even if
scientific uncertainty remains. The European Union has strongly endorsed the concept and has
incorporated it into its environmental, food safety and public health policies. In August 2004,
the European Union enacted new regulations banning the manufacture and use of two categories of
PBDEs after early research demonstrated the persistence and toxicity of the fire retardant
chemicals. Canada, however, still allows the use of PBDEs despite the fact that scientists
recently discovered that Canadian women have the second highest level of PBDE contamination in
the world(6). Recently, the EU adopted a groundbreaking initiative on chemical manufacture and
use called REACH - Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals. The initiative, which
will be phased in over three years, will classify chemicals as to toxicity and will provide for
evaluation of existing chemicals as well as those that are newly developed. The key feature of
the initiative is that it will place the burden of proof on those creating the risk, including
chemical manufacturers and importers. Here in Canada, the passage of the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act in 1999 was a welcome step but Canada still lags far behind Europe in adopting a
precautionary approach to environmental and health protection from toxic chemicals.
