Chemicals and Women- So what is the problem?

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Chemicals and Women- So what is the problem?

• WOMEN FOR A TOXIC-FREE FUTURE
•  Polish Womens Seminar Workshop
•  Monday 6th of December 2004, Warsaw
• Daniela Rosche daniela.rosche_at_wecf.org
• Women in Europe for a Common Future
  International Policy Coordinator

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Summary Presentation

• What kind of chemicals are we talking about
• Chemicals are everywhere
• Why this is a problem
• What kind of health effects many man-made
  chemicals have
• Example Bisphenol A
• Why women are especially affected
• Information gap-regulation in EU
• New EU legislation- REACH
• Why REACH needs strong support of Women (and Men)

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Synthetic Chemicals

• Synthetic man-made ? not natural
• Manufactured/industrial chemicals as a result of
  large scale production- 400 Mio t per year
• Come in contact via food, inhalation, through
  skin
• Hazardous chemicals
• Persistent e.g., plastic bags on the alps
• Bioaccumulative accumulates in your body
• Toxic depending on dose or not?
• Carcinogens
• Endocrine disrupters

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Chemicals in Every Day Life-A chemical world?

• Chemicals in consumer products
• Cosmetics, perfumes, body care
• Household paint
• Plastic toys/ other plastic equipment
• Non-stick frying pans
• Electrical appliances
• PCs
• Compact disks
• Textiles
• Food
• Cleaning products
• ?Silent, invisible pollution
• ?Without our consent or knowledge

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Health effects linked to synthetic chemicals
Disrupt the hormone system reproductive system Toxic to the immune system Affect the nervous system
Allergies Respiratory diseases Cancer
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Example Bisphenol A

• Where? baby feeding bottles,
• flooring, nail polish, compact disks, adhesives
• electrical electronic appliances,
• lining of tin cans
• What damages immune system, nervous system,
  reproductive system, linked to breast cancer
• Health effects in animals detected, 2500 times
  lower than USEPA lowest observed dose effect

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Women are especially affected by chemicals

• Women have a different physiology-"windows of
  time"
• Women have more fatty tissue than men, more
  chemicals can accumulate and be stored in the
  body
• Pass on these chemicals to the foetus in utero
  (through placenta) and via breast milk
• Some chemicals have the ability to cross the
  brain barrier of the developing foetus

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Two main problems with regulating synthetic
chemicals

• 2) Little or no data on environment and health
  effects of majority of chemicals in consumer
  products

• 1) Of certain chemicals, variety of ngeative
  health effects shown

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Chemicals Regulation in the EU

• Pesticides
• Biocides
• Cosmetics
• IPPC
• Workers protection

30.000 Chemicals marketed in the EU
New chemicals law REACH
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A New Law in the Making REACH

• RegistrationEvaluation and Authorization of
  Chemicals
• Aims at protecting human health environment
• EU takes the lead internationally on managing
  chemicals proactively, not only their risk

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A New Law in the Making REACH

• REACH is important
• Will close the information gap
• Burden of Proof on Industry-not governments or
  individuals
• Data is kept with the help of an Agency-
  streamlines information
• The most dangerous chemicals will need an
  authorization
• ? One step further to ensure protection from
  negative health environment effects of
  hazardous chemicals

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REACH out and bring an End to the Chemicals Crisis

• WECF strongly endorses this initiative
• Work in a big coalition on EU level and national
  level in order to strengthen REACH
• Encourage EU to continue taking the lead globally
  toward a toxic free future - 2020 WSSD target
• to achieve by 2020 that chemicals are used
  and produced in ways that lead to the
  minimization of significant adverse effects on
  human health and the environment

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REACH out and bring an End to the Chemicals Crisis

• What you can do
• Support us and other NGOs in the Pro- REACH
  campaign
• Lobby your government MEPs directly
• Be smart consumers- buy products that contain
  natural ingredients
• Write to producers to find out what their
  products are made of

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REACH out and bring an End to the Chemicals Crisis

• What you can do
• Demand responsibility from producers to make sure
  their products are safe and there is enough
  information about them
• Demand from your governments to do the same
• Spread the word and educate others
• COME WITH US TO BRUSSELS !