CIA and trades unions join forces
15 Oct 2002
The Chemical Industries Association has formally joined forces with the trades unions representing industry workers to oppose the inclusion of intermediates in the European Union's chemical policy White Paper.
The GMB, T&G, AEEU, MSF and USDAW have signed a statement drawn up along with the CIA to express their concern that including intermediates in the policy - which calls for increasingly stringent safety testing and an involved approvals procedure - could force smaller producers out of the UK, or out of business altogether.
The statement calls for the White Paper's coverage to be limited to the 30,000 or so chemicals produced within the EU which are placed on the market, or those to which the consumers or the environment might be exposed. At the moment, the policy also extends to some 70,000 substances which have little potential for exposure to consumers or the environment. Intermediates disappear once they are used, they argue. Only workers on a plant are likely to be exposed to them, and legislation already exists to cover this.
'We believe that to test and assess intermediates would be a misuse of limited resources,' the statement says.
The statement proposes that manufacturers or importers would make an announcement of each intermediate they use, giving information such as the tonnage production for any intermediates they themselves produce. This information would be used to set up a list of intermediates which are exempt from the White Paper testing regime.
'This agreement demonstrates the broadening agreement within the chemical industry and manufacturing sector as a whole to achieving the White Paper's goals in a way that enables the EU to remain competitive and innovative in the global marketplace,' comments CIA Director-General Judith Hackett.
