Documents Azoulay, David 4 results

"A new analysis exposes how the American and European pesticide industry is using ongoing EU-US trade negotiations to lower human health and environmental standards in order to increase trade in toxic pesticides. A new study by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), Lowest Common Denominator: How the EU-US trade deal threatens to lower standards of protection from toxic pesticides, tracks how CropLife America and the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) propose to use the ongoing Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations to lower levels of protection in the EU relative to those in the US. If adopted, the pesticide industry proposal would increase the amount of pesticide residue on food sold to consumers in Europe; allow the use of carcinogens, endocrine (hormone) disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and others toxic pesticides; and interfere with efforts to protect bees and other pollinators to safeguard food supplies for future generations."

"This report deals with the challenges, risks and possibilities of nanotechnology. Current discussions on defining nanomaterials, the lack of knowledge of the presence of products containing nanomaterials currently on the global markets, and some regulatory initiatives for the management of nanomaterials internationally, regionally, and nationally are addressed. The special needs and challenges for developing countries and economies in transition are touched upon. The intention is not to give a complete and in-depth review of the current status in the field of science and regulation of nanomaterials, rather to give the Swedish and international public, and decision makers, an overview in the topic. It can aid decision makers in finding the right priorities, without defining the exact actions to take. Based on the report, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation, however, does reflect on some concrete actions to be taken by Swedish decision makers. This is reflected only in the preface of the report."

"More than three years after the European Commission's communication on the regulatory aspects of nanomaterials, numerous questions remain regarding the practical effectiveness of existing European Union law to manage nanomaterials. REACH, the primary EU regulation on chemicals, is assumed to be the regulatory cornerstone for addressing the health, safety and environmental risks of nanomaterials. In particular, REACH registration is described as the ideal tool to fill the problematic knowledge gap on nanomaterials. However, the limited information gathered in the first registration phase demonstrates that REACH is not living up to expectations for nanomaterials. The study identifies four areas in which REACH's registration provisions fail to account for the specificities of nanomaterials."

"Governments require substantial management capabilities and infrastructure in order to effectively develop, implement and enforce laws, policies and regulations governing the sound management of chemicals and wastes. However, most countries presently lack sufficient national management capacity and the financial resources needed to protect human health and the environment. A very small tax could yield significantly more annual funding than has ever been allocated for sound chemicals and wastes management.
Substantial new and additional funds will be needed if there is to be a sincere global effort to achieve the sound management of chemicals and wastes. Funding from donor governments and from current revenue streams will not be sufficient to establish and sustain the programs and infrastructures that will be required to effectively protect the public's health and the environment from chemical exposures and accidents in all countries. Securing sufficient funds on a sustainable basis will require the internalization of costs within relevant producer industries."