The story of the Sambhavna Clinic, a non-profit holistic health clinic in Bhopal, India, built to treat those injured by the Union Carbide toxic gas release in 1984. enlarge video
Contact: Anja Leetz +49 175 732 0657
HCWH attends Public Hearing on Endocrine Disrupters and Launch of SIN 2.0
Brussels —
Public Hearing on Endocrine Disrupters
The body of evidence showing that endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) cause health and environmental problems is growing. The EU has the ambition to tackle the threat of EDCs but has so far been unable to agree on criteria for what qualifies as an EDC, nor been able to act on them as a group. It is time to overcome the deadlock in European regulation regarding EDCs.
Why is there a lack of action? How can we move forward? What do companies need? What should scientists do? How can we use the SIN List and the information it provides? Let's move from ambition to action! Businesses, regulators, and scientists will meet to discuss with each other and the public their views on how to deal with endocrine-disrupting chemicals, a priority issue in EU chemicals regulation.
The public hearing is organised by ChemSec, a non-profit organisation working to eliminate toxins by highlighting the health and environmental risks of hazardous substances, making science-based information readily available, engaging business and speeding up legislative processes.
More info on the Public hearing...
Launch of SIN 2.0
The SIN List is a NGO driven project to catalyse the transition to toxic-free products and processes. The aim is to fast-track the most urgent high concern industrial chemicals for substitution by providing advance guidance to companies, authorities, and regulators.
Since 2007, REACH has provided the framework for the regulation of chemicals in Europe. But the essence of the law – the identification and regulation of the most dangerous chemicals – lags behind. The SIN (Substitute It Now!) List aims to speed up the REACH regulatory process and inspire legislators to move forward on the issue, by listing chemicals that are identified as Substances of Very High Concern according to REACH criteria.
By using REACH’s own criteria to identify high concern chemicals, the SIN List provides a glimpse into the future of European chemicals regulation. The result is a tool that facilitates companies’ efforts to reduce their use of toxic substances, by giving guidance on which chemicals to start substituting – as well as highlighting the financial risks to investors associated with hazardous chemicals likely to be subject to future regulation.
Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of more than 500 organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment. Visit the HCWH website for more information.
