Month: September 2022

WALKING CHEMISTRY LABS. "Scientists estimate that everyone alive today carries within her or his body at least 700 contaminants, most of which have not been well studied." http://lnkd.in/dn7-sCj View in LinkedIn

TOXIC SOUP. "Of the more than 80,000 chemicals in commerce, only a small percentage of them have ever been screened for even one potential health effect, such as cancer, reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, or impacts on the immune system. Among the approximately 15,000 tested, few have been studied enough to correctly estimate potential risks from exposure." http://lnkd.in/dn7-sCj View in LinkedIn

UNKNOWN BODY BURDEN. "The amount of data on body burdens available in the U.S. and the world is extremely limited, particularly compared to the voluminous data we have for chemical levels in air, water, soil, food, and wildlife. Most population-wide body burden data we do have covers only a limited number of chemicals." http://lnkd.in/dn7-sCj View in LinkedIn

THE EU PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE "or precautionary approach states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus that the action or policy is not harmful, the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking an action." http://lnkd.in/dH8BuwY View in LinkedIn

THE BURDEN OF PROOF adopted in the Precautionary Principle is on the company proposing approval of a new chemical. Common sense dictates that safety testing is a minimal requirement before a new formulation is approved. Sadly, this is very far from reality in some countries. View in LinkedIn

EU LAW ADOPTS THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE. "As of 2006 it had been integrated into EU laws "in matters such as general product safety, the use of additives for use in animal nutrition, the incineration of waste, and the regulation of genetically modified organisms." Completely opposite from US regulators' approach. http://lnkd.in/dH8BuwY View in LinkedIn

WTO ALTERNATIVE STANCE. "Risk assessment ... was developed to guide action in the face of incomplete knowledge about risks to health. It focuses on probabilities of hazards occurring, and the probable consequences, because complete knowledge is very rare ... it is virtually impossible to scientifically prove the “safety” of a food or product." http://lnkd.in/dXws2N6 View in LinkedIn

DRAG ON INNOVATION? "The Precautionary Principle will slow or perhaps stop development or innovation since the burden of proof is on the product/service before it comes to market." A desperate argument. http://lnkd.in/dapcUGN View in LinkedIn

RISK ASSESSMENT places the burden of proof on those who prefer alternatives, and favors those with the most powerful backing. "Precaution offers to level the playing field by inviting the focus not only on risk but also on uncertainty." http://lnkd.in/dvFZd9F View in LinkedIn

"UNCERTAINTIES cannot be reduced to neat numerical probabilities such as risk assessors will have us believe. "The notion of exclusively science-based decisions under uncertainty is an oxymoron." http://lnkd.in/dvFZd9F View in LinkedIn