A better future without hazards

One of the consumers' rights is to have a healthy environment. At present thousands of industrial chemicals are found on the market through products and services supplied. Often nobody knows the side effects of most of these chemicals, especially on consumers' health.

It is important to note that the present monitoring system is weak and this has already led to many problems in the environment and adverse effects on consumers' health. Two such cases were asbestos and PCB. This happened as these chemicals were left on the market even though there were clear indications of the hazards presented by these types of material.

The European Environment and European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC) together with other organisations are proposing a new management system, known as REACH, to manage and monitor these chemicals.

These organisations together with others, such as the Consumers' Association, are doing their utmost so that European Union adopts measures which would reflect the following five points regarding the management of chemicals on the market:

¤ consumers have the right to be informed about the chemical content of the products;

¤ a stipulated date be set by which the chemicals on the market have to be tested by independent experts;

¤ chemicals, which affect consumers' health and/or are difficult to dispose of, are to be barred from being put on the market;

¤ less dangerous and hazardous chemicals to be used than those currently used; and

¤ the disposing of such chemicals in the environment should stop by 2020.

The Consumers' Association encourages the government to agree to and support these proposals. It is important that Government immediately starts taking action by adopting measures to safeguard these points. It is only through this that consumers and their children will enjoy a healthy environment.