FoE calls for chemical bans

Environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth has called for a ban on all chemicals which accumulate in the human body, in wildlife or in the environment. In a statement which is also endorsed by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Food Commission and other pressure groups, FoE attacks the chemical industry's track record on toxicological testing and calls for a `positive licensing system' tying chemicals down to specific uses.

FoE claims that, of some 100 000 chemical substances in use within the European Union as of 1981, `the vast majority... have not been adequately tested for toxicity.' This has been acknowledged in the US, it says, with a statement this year from the EPA that `no basic toxicity information, ie neither human health nor environmental toxicity, is publicly available for 43 per cent of the high volume chemicals manufactured in the US.'

It adds that `as a result of growing public and government pressure, [chemical manufacturers] have begun to collaborate internationally, spending a few tens of millions of dollars - a small fraction of their profits - on new research and testing.' It also claims that this testing `is designed only to defend their products and delay decision making.'

The report revives existing concerns over several groups of compounds - PCBs and DDT; dioxins; and newer compounds including phthalates, used as plasticiers in children's toys and currently banned in several European countries, and bisphenol A.