Scientists propose a major shift in chemicals management in the US and Canada – Phys.org

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January 19, 2023
by Inexperienced Science Coverage Institute
A brand new strategy will help governments and companies remove dangerous chemical compounds from each day use and publicity, in keeping with a paper revealed at present in Environmental Science & Expertise.

It is a easy idea, however a drastic departure from the established order of chemical compounds administration within the U.S. and Canada. The authors lay out suggestions for implementing this strategy to profit public well being, the atmosphere, and the financial system. The authors advocate for utilizing “important use strategy” to hurry up and extra effectively take dangerous chemical compounds out of {the marketplace}.
“Within the U.S. and Canada, most chemical compounds haven’t been evaluated prior to make use of,” mentioned Carol Kwiatkowski, co-author and scientist on the Inexperienced Science Coverage Institute. “As soon as a chemical is suspected of inflicting hurt, it could take many years earlier than any restrictions are enacted. By that point, the chemical is usually changed with the same one which will even take years to control. The essential-use strategy is a extra environment friendly technique to reduce danger earlier than hurt happens.”
The essential-use strategy states that chemical compounds of concern ought to solely be used the place the usage of such chemical compounds in a product is “essential for well being, security or is crucial for the functioning of society” and the place possible options will not be obtainable. The thought originated within the Montreal Protocol however was extra lately tailored by a global group of scientists in its proposed strategy for managing the entire class of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In 2020, the EU endorsed this strategy in its Chemical substances Technique for Sustainability, calling for phasing out all PFAS and different most dangerous chemical compounds, apart from makes use of which can be decided to be important for society.
The strategy has gained traction in some U.S. states for PFAS. In 2021 the U.S. state of Maine banned the usage of PFAS in all merchandise by 2030, besides the place the state determines a use is “at present unavoidable.” Different U.S. states are equally banning the usage of PFAS in particular merchandise.
The authors suggest that governments and companies within the U.S. and Canada totally transition to the “important use strategy” by:

1. Defining chemical compounds of concern utilizing a broad vary of hazard traits.
2. Expediting choices concerning the usage of chemical compounds of concern by asking the best of three questions:
   1. Is the perform of the chemical essential for the product?
   2. Is use of the chemical the most secure possible choice?
   3. Is use of the chemical justified as a result of such use within the product is important for well being, security, or the functioning of society?
3. Making use of the essential-use strategy early within the means of growing, utilizing, and managing chemical compounds of concern.
4. Supporting choices by participating various consultants and sharing data essential for figuring out important makes use of.

Extra data: Optimizing chemical compounds administration in the USA and Canada by means of the essential-use strategy, Environmental Science & Expertise (2023). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05932

Journal data: Environmental Science & Expertise
Supplied by Inexperienced Science Coverage Institute
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