Require Chemicals be tested BEFORE they are Released

"On average, 1,800 new chemicals are registered with the federal government each year and about 750 of these find their way into products, all with hardly any testing for health or environmental effects. The bad news about chemical contamination is steadily mounting, while the number of new chemicals is steadily increasing. "...
 
In 2005, the European Union responded to this situation by trying to enact a new law called Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH), which requires that chemicals be tested before they are sold & not after." ... the REACH act was adopted by the European Union in December, 2006..."
from  www.projectcensored.org/censored_2008/index.htm

This petition seeks to enact laws promoting "precautionary principle", the rule of "do no harm first" in the approval of new drugs and chemicals.

What's the problem with chemicals?  

There is a general lack of knowledge regarding the 99% of chemicals (around 100,000 'existing substances') that were placed on the market before 1981. This is because prior to that date, no stringent health and safety tests were needed to market chemicals. There are 3,000 so-called 'new substances' which had to go through a more stringent safety screening after 1981.

While some well-known chemicals, such as asbestos, are already banned, the Commission believes that the rising incidence of diseases such as cancer and leukaemia could be linked to chemicals. Blood tests in humans and animals have shown contamination by known toxic substances, raising questions as to how they enter the body and the extent of the damage that they could cause (see also LinksDossier on Biomonitoring).

Under the system, both "existing" and "new" chemicals will be screened for health and safety over an 11-year period.

Central to the system is a requirement for producers and importers of chemicals to prove that their substances are safe before they can be placed on the market. Under the previous system, it was up to the authorities to prove that a substance posed a threat before it could be withdrawn (reversal of burden of proof).

A new chemicals agency in Helsinki will be tasked with authorising or rejecting the applications. Failure to register will mean a substance cannot be manufactured or imported into the EU.

from http://www.euractiv.com/en/environment/chemicals-policy-review-reach/article-117452
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