Europe, chemical safety

REACH (law in Europe on chemical safety/registration) http //ec. europa. eu / environment/chemicals/reach/ reach intro.htm www.chemicalspol i cy.org/ downlo ads /REACH is Here 220307.pdf... 

Chemicals regulations and labelling in the countries of Central East Europe were relatively weakly developed before their preparations for membership in the European Union (EU) and largely incompatible with EU standards (Regional Environmental Center 1996). Yet, within 10 years of pre-accession preparations these states fully adopted EU chemical safety regulations, which are considered to be among the most complex and advanced in the world. What explains the smooth diffusion of EU chemical safety regulations to the new member states despite the economic and administrative costs entailed ... 

At the supranational level, CEE1C and the European Commission became natural counterparts seeking to facilitate the transposition of chemical safety standards and market reforms in the sector. A position paper of CEE1C presented at the 1995 conference Competing in the New Europe Strategies for the Central and Eastern European Chemical Industry, highlighted the growth in trade of chemicals between EU and Central and Eastern Europe, as Central and Eastern Europe exports to the EU rose by... 

Table 15.1 EU Funded Projects on Chemical Safety in Central and Eastern Europe (http //www. cefic.be/Templates/shwStory.asp NID=25 HID=289 PHID=288)...

The ChemLeg program, in turn, focused on closer cooperation between policy makers, industry experts and national federations to facilitate the implementation of these standards. The main indicators of achievement were the enlargement of CEFIC with new full and associate CEFIC members representing nine of the ten Central and Eastern Europe states that subsequently joined the European Union the creation of an influential regional network of chemical industry and active involvement in European advocacy on the part of federations from Central and Eastern Europe (Doktor 2002). The political dynamics of trans-European industry mobilisation, organisation at the domestic and European level, and alliances with supranational and domestic policy elites and experts developed in full swing and in support of the horizontal diffusion of EU chemical safety policies and norms. 

The role of environmental advocacy organisations in the diffusion of chemical safety and environmental policies from the EU to the Central and Eastern Europe states has been surprisingly limited. The vacuum of societal activism on the issue illustrates once again the critical meditating role of actor associations in linking domestic and EU regulatory and normative arenas. 

Objectives of the project are to gather information that will help to harmonize and integrate Associated Candidate Countries (ACC) and New Member States (NMS) infrastructures and activities in the field of chemical food safety with those of Member States (MS) and to provide the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) with a network of scientists, researchers, institutions able to address the different aspects of the chemical contaminants in food. In addition, through participation in this project, scientists and research groups will have the opportunity to join mainstream research activities, such as the ones developed in Food Chemical Safety in Europe (FOSIE), the NoE Chemicals as contaminants in the food chain an NoE for research, risk assessment and education. (CASCADE), the project Harmonized Environmental Indicators for Pesticide Risk (HAIR), or to promote new projects in the field of food safety. 

Liliana B. Andonova is Assistant Professor of Government and Environmental Studies at Colby College. She is the author of Transnational Politics of the Environment The European Union and Environmental Policies in Central and Eastern Europe (MIT Press). The book compares the regulatory reform and implementation of chemical safety and air pollution policies in three CEE countries Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. Her current research interests include trade and environment issues in transition economies, the role of public-private partnerships in global governance, climate change politics, and the influence of international institutions on the domestic scene. 

The European Union s chemical management law known as REACH requires chemical manufacturers and importers to assess risks and describe conditions under which their chemical substances can be safely used. Although REACH is required in Europe, data generated under the law has global impact. Among the data generated for a chemical substance is a Chemical Safety Assessment, Derived No Effect Level (DNEL),... 

WHO (1984) Studies in Epidemiology, Part 1 Health Aspects of Chemical Safety, Interim Document 15, (Copenhagen WHO Regional Office for Europe)... 

Although herbs have been used for thousands of years, most of what we know has been from observation. Most herbs have not been scientifically studied for safety and efficacy (effectiveness). Much of what we know about herbal therapy has come from Europe particularly Germany. During the last several decades, European scientists have studied botanical plants in ways that seek to identify how they work at the cellular level, what chemicals are most effective, and adverse effects related to their use. Germany lias compiled information on 300 herbs and made recommendations for their use. 

Requirements for labelling of containers for supply may differ from those for conveyance. Key features of a supply label are to identify the substance (the chemical name in most cases) and any hazards and safety precuations. In Europe the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances is covered by Directive 67/548/EEC as amended. This requires labels to identify appropriate risk and safety phrases (Tables 12.2 and 12.3) depending upon product properties. A substance is considered dangerous if in Part lA of an approved list or if it exhibits hazardous properties as defined in Schedule 1 for supply, or Schedule 2 for conveyance as shown in Tables 12.4 and 12.5. Substances not tested should be labelled Caution — substance not yet fully tested . Criteria for risk phrases are provided, e.g. as in Table 12.6 for toxic compounds. 

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