Monday 14 July 2003

The report authors, Professor David Pearce and Dr Phoebe Koundouri, also found that the European Union could be a staggering £180 billion (Euro 260 billion) better off by 2020, even after taking into account the costs to businesses of implementation.

Justin Woolford, WWF's chemicals campaign leader, said: "Recently the chemical industry has produced two narrow-focused reports looking at the impacts of the proposed regulations on their industry. However, the chemicals policy has much wider consequences for the health of wildlife and people as well as the environment. If all costs and benefits are considered there is no question that the regulation will give our children and wildlife a better, healthier and safer future."

Even without taking into account environmental benefits, the report suggests that the true benefits for Europe in terms of better health and increased productivity could outweigh costs by more than ten times.

The report highlights the lack of impact on employment and business of environmental legislation by stating 'there is little evidence that environmental regulations have significant effects on employment', and 'we know of no evidence to suggest that firms relocate in response to environmental regulation. Other costs are far more important to locational decisions than regulatory compliance costs.'

"This report makes a mockery of statements put out by the Chemical Industry Association. Claims that the regulations could result in 'critical damage' being suffered by the chemicals industry and 'the threat to employment of 100s of 1000s people employed by the industry EU-wide' [sic] are simply scaremongering.

What is truly alarming is that some chemicals are contaminating whole families without their knowledge. WWF is raising the alarm, demanding that certain hazardous man-made chemicals are banned," added Justin Woolford.

Professor David Pearce said: "Even by using conservative estimates of the effects of chemicals on people the report suggests that the primary benefits from REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals) are to human health and the environment. Since the models used in the report exclude all environmental effects, we argue that the benefits are understatements. Overall, we are confident that REACH will generate net benefits."

WWF wants to see and support a sustainable chemical industry. Currently this is not the case as with a small proportion of the most hazardous man-made chemicals the costs outweigh the benefits to society. The chemicals that WWF are most concerned about include very persistent chemicals that build up in our bodies and hormone mimicking chemicals (endocrine disrupting chemicals) that can hijack our own hormone systems. In their recently published study the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution recommended that chemicals that build up in our bodies should be removed from the market immediately.