IN an attempt to help shape the European Union’s review of chemicals policy, a number of influential European environmental and consumer lobby groups drew up a charter in October 2000. Their drive then was to persuade as many other non-governmental organisations as possible to sign what became known as the Copenhagen Charter.
Essentially, it calls for a safety assessment of all chemicals to ensure that their use is safe beyond reasonable doubt. It wants safer alternatives to be substituted for risky chemicals wherever practical, and for chemicals that accumulate in our bodies or in the environment to be phased out.…
