Wednesday 24 May 2006

The women created a politically charged cake decorated with a lurid warning sign which symbolises the chemicals we are all exposed to on an everyday basis.

They took part in the "Indecent Exposure" survey created by WWF-UK which provides the British public with their first ever tool for assessing how exposed they may be to certain hazardous chemicals in their day to day lives. The short online questionnaire analyses people's lifestyles, diet, behaviour and use of particular products to estimate what hazardous chemicals they may be exposed to, and provides some suggestions about how to reduce their exposure in the future.

Over the last 5 years, WWF and the National Federation of Women's Institutes (NFWI) have worked in partnership to highlight the need for strong EU leglislation (known as REACH) to control the use of hazardous chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives. Later this year, the EU will finally decide what controls are to be placed on Europe's multi-billion pound chemicals industry. The strength of this decision will have a profound impact on the health of both people and the environment in Europe.

The WI members are writing to their MEPs urging them to ensure REACH is strong enough to substitute toxic chemicals with safer alternatives.

Fay Mansell, NFWI Chair said "It is of grave concern to WI members that we are all being exposed to so many man-made and potentially hazardous chemicals, and that many of these chemicals can be found in all sorts of products from cosmetics and cleaning products to furniture and even food makes them very difficult to avoid. The WI welcomes the 'Indecent Exposure' survey as a useful tool to help people understand and reduce their exposure to harmful chemicals. However, the only way we can really protect our families and our environment is to ensure that the EU Parliament votes for hazardous man-made chemicals to be properly regulated by replacing them where safer alternatives exist, or banning them where necessary. We hope and expect that our elected representatives will vote for our health over short-term industry interests."

Colin Butfield, Director of the Chemicals & Health Campaign added: "The most effective thing that anyone can do to reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals in the environment - and therefore in their bodies too - is to make their voice heard, and they can do this by taking part in the survey. We need to ensure the EU doesn't allow dangerously weak legislation that is soft on the chemicals industry to be pushed through as a result of multi-million dollar lobbying campaigns by this immensely wealthy industry. It would be tragic to think that the EU would prioritise the short term demands of industry ahead of the health of Europe's people and environment."