1 / 14

NICNAS Community Engagement Forum

NICNAS Community Engagement Forum. Is the regulation of industrial chemicals in Australia effective?. Participatory democracy in chemicals management. SAICM UN Convention on Human Rights Bahai Declaration Aarhus Convention.

davidperry
Download Presentation

NICNAS Community Engagement Forum

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. NICNAS Community Engagement Forum Is the regulation of industrial chemicals in Australia effective?

  2. Participatory democracy in chemicals management • SAICM • UN Convention on Human Rights • Bahai Declaration • Aarhus Convention

  3. ‘living in a pollution-free world is a basic human right’ -2001 UNHRC ‘those who pollute violate human rights’ "Human rights cannot be secured in a degraded or polluted environment….the fundamental right to life is threatened by exposures to toxic chemicals, hazardous wastes & contaminated drinking water." Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 - child’s right to health, adequate food and clean water ‘taking into consideration dangers & risks of environmental pollution’ Chemicals – A human rights issue

  4. Environmental Justice“…the principle that all people and communities are entitled to equal protection of environmental and public health laws and regulations.“Robert Bullard, Dumping in Dixie: Race,class, and Environmental Quality, 1990. Drivers for change • It is estimated that around one in three of all occupational diseases recognised in Europe each year is due to exposure to hazardous chemicals. • A wide range of chemical residues are now found in human breast milk with Australia showing some of the highest levels. (ie flame retardants) • Environmental monitoring is showing chemical residues extensively in the environment. Air, water and soil. • Most of the 38 000 industrial chemicals available for use in Australia have not been adequately assessed for human health and environmental impacts. • Insufficient volume and use data, critical for exposure assessments, has been provided by industry to Australian regulators. • Impending climate change impacts. Re-release of POP’s • EDC’s - Hormone disruption could pose a more imminent threat to humankind than climate change. (Colborn and Clement 1992)

  5. Community Engagement Forum • Established 2003 • Representing: -Worker health and safety (ACTU) -Public health (PHAA and CHOICE) -Environment and community interests (AEN) • “…recognising the importance of effective engagement in formulating regulatory policies and practices that operate well and best meet the needs of all stakeholders.”

  6. CEF supporting NICNAS • Community Engagement Charter • Community Engagement Framework • Developing Community Engagement Strategies • Facilitating ECR National Engagement Strategy • Review of ECR National Engagement Strategy • CEF E-Bulletin (quarterly) • Submissions- reforms/works, PEC’s, CRIS, Nano, Cosmetics, Disinfectants, ECR, LRCC, COAG • Presentations – HAZMAT • Gateway engagement with sectors • Providing equitable representation – ECR, ISG, TWP, NAG, CAG • CEF Workplans *CEF Appraisal (Sass)

  7. Priorities 2011 • Implementation of the ECR • Regulatory Framework for Nano-materials • International harmonisation • LRCC • NICNAS Website • Reforms

  8. Issues of Concern for CEF • LRCC evaluation • Assessment of Phthalates • Assessment of PBDE’s, HBCD’s • Prioritisation of AIC’s • Unassessed chemicals in use (classified hazardous/restricted overseas) • Community capacity building -Chemical Safety Forum

  9. Cause for concern? • Approx 1500 new chems every year • 6974 chemicals reported under exempt categories 2010-11 • 38000 unassessed available for use • No data on LRCC program • Complicated regulatory framework (More than nine separate government agencies involved)

  10. Chemical risks in the environment BTEX and fraccing chemicals -LNG and CSG processing polluting air, water and soil Lead -children’s articles, playground equipment, residues in soil and waste streams EPDM • extensive use of Soft fall and fake turf, leaching into groundwater, residues in waste streams Plastics -residual wastes pollute air, water and soil Nano-materials -No regulatory framework or nano-pollution monitoring

  11. Chemical risks to children BPA • Aus voluntary 12 month phase-out vs overseas bans Phthalates • in use in Australia but restricted EU, US, Canada and Japan • Slow assessment of 25 priority PBDE’s and PFOS • Upholstery and Carpet underlay, babies exposed, high levels in Aus breastmilk/blood Unassessed chemicals is domestic products - No exposure assessments, control of use data leaves children vulnerable.

  12. Regulatory Failure Chemical assessments often lack consideration of - • Critical exposure data • Ecotoxicological data • Epidemiology data • Children’s specific vulnerability • Environmental fate and disposal data • Body burden and Endocrine Disruption data • Multiple chemical, cumulative and synergistic data

  13. Community Expectations • No National Adverse Reporting Scheme • No annotation of AICs (ie substitution advice, hazard warnings) • No Powers to ban or restrict • No information gathering powers • No toxics elimination strategy • No Children’s Chemical Safety Act.

  14. Increased release of chemicals into the environment Changes in : temperature, precipitation affect long range transport & distribution temperature increases volatilizing & air emissions primary & secondary remobilisation release from melting snow, ice, permafrost soils, glaciers extreme weather events, flooding salinity - bioavailability of substances degradation rates toxicity of some chemicals sensitivity of wildlife to exposures Synergy of exposures & climate environmental stresses, affect adaptability, immune function, reproductive viability Climate Change and Chemicals

More Related