Chemicals Stakeholder Forum annual report 2001 - 2002.

M2 PRESSWIRE-11 March 2003-UK Government: Chemicals Stakeholder Forum annual report 2001 - 2002(C)1994-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:03112003

The Chemicals Stakeholder Forum will publish its second annual report, highlighting conclusions reached on three groups of chemicals of potential concern and setting out progress in consideration of four further chemicals.

Forum Chairman, Lord Selborne said: "The current legislation to assess the risk from existing chemicals to the environment and to human health through the environment is not working rapidly enough.

"There are 30,000 chemicals produced in volumes of over one tonne in the EU about which very little is known. Even where concerns were identified decades ago, there are too many cases where little has been done.

"The EU is developing a new system that will eventually be more effective, but this will take a number of years to put into place.

"In the meantime, the Chemicals Stakeholder Forum is working to see what can be done now and in the near future to identify the chemicals that are most likely to present a risk; to encourage industry to gather data on them; and to offer advice on developing risk reduction measures.

"Forum membership is representative of views on chemicals policy, but despite our varying perspectives we have managed to collaborate fully and - with the contribution of a number of individual chemical companies - achieve an encouraging rate of progress during our second year. We have reached conclusions on three groups of chemicals of potential concern: - We advised the UK Government to seek a formal voluntary agreement with industry to control the risks to the environment from nonylphenol, octylphenol and their ethoxylates. This would achieve a phase out of the most polluting uses in the UK .

-- We have secured the agreement of industrial users of medium chain-length chlorinated paraffins to cut emissions by 25% by the end of 2003.

-- We ascertained that 1,2,4 trichlorobenzene was no longer in use in the UK and that its presence in the UK environment was decreasing. We therefore concluded that no further investigation or action was required.

"Working with industry, we have made progress on information gathering for another four chemicals: vinyl neodecanoate, pentabromodiphenyl ether, hexamethyldisiloxane, and alkyl leads. We will be considering the need for risk reduction for these substances during the coming year, as well as considering a further tranche of new chemicals." Minister for the Environment and Agri-Environment, Michael Meacher, welcomed the report, saying: "The Forum has made some encouraging progress in grappling with difficult issues and engaging so fruitfully with chemical companies.

I was very grateful for their judicious advice on nonylphenol, octylphenol and their ethoxylates, and look forward in the coming year to hearing their conclusions on more chemicals of potential concern".

NOTES FOR EDITORS

The Chemicals Stakeholder Forum was established in September 2000 under the UK Chemicals Strategy. The first annual report was published in November 2001. Meetings are held in public and ten have been held to date.

The Forum is chaired by the Earl of Selborne. The member organisations are:- British Association of Chemical Specialities, British Coatings Federation, British Plastics Federation, British Retail Consortium, British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, Chemical Industries Association, English Nature, Friends of the Earth, GMB, Green Alliance, MRC Institute for Environment and Health, National Council of Women of Great Britain, NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Non-Ferrous Alliance, Royal Society of Chemistry, Transport and General Workers Union, Welsh Consumer Council, WWF - UK.

The Stakeholder Forum's papers are available on the internet at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/chemicals/csf//index.htm

The Annual Report will be published on the web site today at: www.defra.gov.uk/environment/chemicals/csf/

Copies are also available from Chitra Agarwal, 3/E6 Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6DE. The Forum can be contacted on chemicals.strategy@defra.gsi.gov.uk

CONTACT: Public enquiriesTel: +44 (0)8459 335 577WWW: http://www.defra.gov.uk

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