Chemical Policy Reform

Consider the elements of an ideal chemical policy.
The Louisville Charter is a consensus-built position paper identifying the key elements of a good chemical policy.
In the article above, read through the headers in RED (h3 for screen readers). . On the left- side bar there are background papers for each of the elements. Choose one or more of the background subjects to blog about.
  • Background #1 - Require safer substitutions and solutions
    • It is surprising that safer subsitiutions are not the goal or that there arent any specific guidelines set yet.  I would think that safety should be one of the first and main concerns.  And in most cases the replacement could be hazardous as well.  
    • This paper discusses implementing the substitution principle which will involve opposing the interests of the chemical producers.  It also involves challenging the government to define its sustainability path.  There needs to be a focus on clean production
    • I thought it was good that this paper has specific roles for the government in implementing safer substitutions.  Sweden has benchmarkers and goals which seem attainable and reasonable.  
    • One thought is the wording.  Maybe the issue is that there is the need for safer substitutions, however the real need is for safe substitutions.  As mentioned earlier, there are substitutions but they may not be any better than what is already being used but that is considered a substitution.  What they may need to do is set stricter standards and request just substitutions that are safe.  

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