Endorsement
or Adoptions
- Precautionary
Principle - (top)
International
North America
Statements of endorsement
of Precautionary Principle
American Nurses Association
--
On Oct 14, 2003 - the Board of Directors of the American Nurses
Association unanimously approved the following recommendations:
1) ANA broaden its work in occupational and environmental health
and apply a precautionary approach when an activity raises threats
of harm to human health or the environment.
2) ANA advocate for public policy that utilizes the precautionary
approach that focuses on prevention of hazards to people and the
natural environment.
(In their executive summary, they provided background information
on the precautionary principle and said: "The precautionary
principle states that if it is within one's power, there is an ethical
imperative to prevent rather than merely treat disease, even in
the face of scientific uncertainty".)
Section 6 of the Earth
Charter States the following:
6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection
and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.
a. Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible
environmental harm even when scientific knowledge is incomplete
or inconclusive.
b. Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed
activity will not cause significant harm, and make the responsible
parties liable for environmental harm.
ac. Ensure that decision making addresses the cumulative, long-term,
indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities.
d. Prevent pollution of any part of the environment and allow no
build-up of radioactive, toxic, or other hazardous substances.
e. Avoid military activities damaging to the environment."
Physicians for Social Responsibility
(National PSR)
PSR Resolution Affirming the Precautionary Principle
Be it resolved that Physicians for Social Responsibility endorses
the Precautionary Principle* and encourages government at all levels,
the private sector, and health professionals to promote and abide
by the precautionary principle in order to protect human health
and the environment;
* When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the
environment, precautionary measures should be taken even it some
cause and effect relationship are not fully established. In this
context the proponent of an activity rather than the public should
bear the burden of proof. The process of applying the Precautionary
Principle must be open, informed, and democratic and must involve
potentially affected parties. The process must include a comprehensive,
systematic examination of he full range of alternatives, including
no action. (Adopted 11/99) (from PSR Resolutions and Policy Statements)
(read
more on PSRs statement - pdf)
World Trade Center Clean Up - NYCOSH
statement
"The tenets of the Precautionary Principle should guide the
design and implementation of the cleanup process..."
The "Gold Standard" for Remediation of WTC Contaminations
has been posted on the NYCOSH
website at http://www.nycosh.org/environment_wtc/GoldStandard.htm
ABSTRACT The events of September 11, 2001 and thereafter resulted
in arguably the worst environmental disaster in the history of New
York City. Particulate matter and combustion byproducts containing
asbestos, lead, mercury, dioxin, PAHs, and other toxic substances
not only affected rescue and recovery workers at ground zero but
also infiltrated thousands of residences and workplaces. Government
agencies did not acknowledge responsibility for residential indoor
environmental quality until 8 months later, and still have not accepted
responsibility for indoor environmental quality in commercial and
government buildings. In May 2002, 200 representatives from 38 community,
labor, environmental, and public health organizations met to discuss
unmet post-9/11 public health needs. They established a technical
working group to press EPA to expand and improve its proposals for
the cleanup of Lower Manhattan. This 2002 document, “The ‘Gold
Standard’ for Remediation of WTC Contamination,” articulates
the environmental health concerns and suggestions of grass roots
organizations active in 9/11 response efforts at that time.
Business Support
/ Adoption
Boots Group PLC. UKs leading
health & beauty retailer and are one of the best known names
in the UK. We employ 68,000 people, own world famous brands and
sell our products in 130 countries. Supports a precautionary approach
to use of chemicals. see: Environmental
policy. Chemicals,
human health and the environment.
In
action
- Precautionary Principle - (top)
SF
Precautionary Principle Ordinance - San Francisco implementation
of the PP
Better
Safe Than Sorry - by Ruth Rosen, Thursday, June 19, 2003, ©2003
San Francisco Chronicle -- pro San Francisco experience
Safer Chemicals Within Reach
Clean Production Action recently released a report prepared
for Greenpeace UK: Safer
Chemicals Within Reach. Using the Substitution Principle to
drive Green Chemistry. This report shows how to substitute safer
materials for hazardous chemicals and gives case studies of industries
who are moving to safer chemical practices. This report will be
used in Europe to lobby for substitution legislation within the
upcoming new chemical policy but its relevance is useful to all
governments industries and NGOs round the world. Please visit, www.cleanproduction.org
to download the report.
REACH - Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of
Chemicals
"On October 28th 2004 the European Commission adopted its
legislative proposal for sweeping reform in chemicals policy, called
REACH. The legislation if enacted requires that all chemicals used
in commerce over 1 ton per year have basic toxicity and risk information
within an 11 year period and that chemicals of very high concern
be treated like drugs, with only uses approved by government authorities
being permitted." More information at the The
Lowell Center for Sustainable Production
More on REACH at - Clean
Production Action or European
Environmental Bureau or World
Wildlife Fund
Prevention Institute
was founded in 1997 to address complex health and social issues.
(accessed: 9 January 2005).
Proof
& Uncertainty
- Precautionary Principle - (top)
"All scientific work is incomplete - whether it be observational
or experimental. All scientific work is liable to be upset or modified
by advancing knowledge. That does not confer upon us a freedom to
ignore the knowledge we already have or postpone the action that
it appears to demand at a given time. " - Sir Austin Bradford
Hill (1965)
Associations& Causation
in Epidemiology
Washington
State -
Applying the Precautionary Principle - (top)
Washington State has several programs supportive of
the Precautionary Principle.
1. The
Washington State Growth Management Act. This policy applies
to situations when there is incomplete scientific evidence about
whether a development or land use action could harm established
critical habitat areas. In such cases, this legislation directs
cities and counties to use “a precautionary or a no risk approach
[emphasis added], in which development and land use activities are
strictly limited until the uncertainty is sufficiently resolved.”
2. Washington
State Department of Ecology’s Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxins
(PBT) program. Ecology’s PBT program advocates for moving
away from risk assessment and towards “precautionary approaches
based on scientific data for addressing PBTs.” It explicitly
adopts the precautionary principle as one of the policy’s
guiding principles:
“Most regulatory programs currently embody approaches
that require agencies to quantify the problems caused by low levels
of toxic chemicals before taking actions to prevent those effects.
Consequently reasonable preventative measures are often delayed
because scientists are unable to precisely define all of the complex
interactions between toxic release and environmental danger. More
precautionary approaches are needed to prevent the environmental
harm associated with PBTs.”
Seattle
- Applying the
Precautionary Principle - (top)
The City of Seattle currently has a number of policy
statements and resolutions that apply a precautionary approach to
issues related to the environment. The following examples make a
strong case for explicitly endorsing the precautionary principle
as the underlying foundation for decision-making in city government.
1. The City
of Seattle’s Endorsement of the Earth
Charter. Section 6 of the Earth Charter states that the City
should, “prevent harm as the best method of environmental
protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary
approach.”
More specifically, the Earth Charter encourages its
endorsers to:
a. Take action to avoid the possibility of serious or irreversible
environmental harm even when scientific knowledge is incomplete
or inconclusive.
b. Place the burden of proof on those who argue that a proposed
activity will not cause significant harm, and make the responsible
parties liable for environmental harm.
c. Ensure that decision-making addresses the cumulative, long-term,
indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities.
d. Prevent pollution of any part of the environment and allow no
build-up of radioactive, toxic, or other hazardous substances.
e. Avoid military activities damaging to the environment."
In September 2002, the Seattle
City Council and Mayor Greg Nickels formally endorsed the Earth
Charter and pledged their intention to be “assertively
working towards the realization of its aims so that we can assure
a healthy future for our community and for our earth.”
2. The Office
of Sustainability and Environment Mission Statement.
The Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) emphasizes
the importance of preventing pollution and integrating long-term
economic, environmental and social costs and benefits into City
plans. Its mission is consistent with the precautionary approach
and pledges “to provide the leadership, tools and information
to help City government and other organizations use natural resources
efficiently, prevent pollution and improve the economic, environmental
and social well-being of current and future generations.”
3 . The City
of Seattle Purchasing Policies. The City of Seattle Environmentally
Responsible Purchasing Policy directs City departments to choose
alternative products that prevent harm and states, “The City
shall promote the use of environmentally preferable products in
its acquisition of goods and services.”
Several resolutions apply to this overall policy,
which specify that departments should make purchasing decisions
to achieve the following goals:
· To increase the procurement of recycled and recyclable
products (Resolution #28737);
· To improve efficiency of water and energy use (Resolution
#29048);
· To reduce products which result in hazardous pollution
during manufacture, use, or disposal (Resolution #29268); and
· To reduce products which result in persistent toxic pollution,
i.e. pollution from persistent bioaccumulative toxins or PBTs, and
to instead favor alternatives, such as penta-free utility poles,
chlorine-free paper and non-PVC office products (Resolution #30487).
These broad purchasing policies are now being implemented
for specific types of products. For example, the policies have guided
a proactive set of environmental criteria for janitorial products
to ensure the health and safety of city workers (City
of Seattle’s Environmental Criteria for Janitorial Products).
Other product-based decisions impacted by the city’s purchasing
policies include computer and printer purchasing, battery disposal
and the selection of office supplies (reports
related to purchasing and city contracts). A 2003
report on environmentally friendly cleaning products.
4. The City
of Seattle Environmental Action Agenda. This policy articulates
the city’s goals for protecting environmental quality, promoting
environmental justice, and improving quality of life in Seattle
for current and future generations. More specifically, the Action
Agenda calls for careful monitoring and reporting of environmental
impacts:
“The agenda creates a framework for integrated City environmental
action, robust tracking and reporting, coherent communication on
environmental issues and links environmental stewardship, economic
development and social equity.”
5. The City
of Seattle’s Pesticide Reduction Program. This program
works to prevent dangerous pesticide exposures by setting target
goals, which set important milestones for creating a safer and healthier
environment. The two main goals of the program are:
(1) To eliminate the use of the most potentially hazardous herbicides
and insecticides, and
(2) To achieve a 30 percent reduction in overall pesticide use.”
6. The City
of Seattle Comprehensive Plan. The City of Seattle has encouraged
meaningful public participation in developing its Comprehensive
Plan. Since before 1994, local residents have been empowered to
envision what types of amenities, such as parks or transportation,
they would need to support this growth in this planning process.
7. Seattle
moves to Reduce Global Warming
“The reality of global climate change is urgent. The stakes
are high – locally and globally – and we need to act.
As a City government, we’ve already cut our greenhouse gas
emissions by more than 60% compared to 1990 levels. But it’s
not enough – we need to work together as a community to set
responsible limits on global warming pollution.” - Seattle
Mayor Greg Nickels
King
County -
Applying
the Precautionary Principle - (top)
King County’s growing
population and unique environment has encouraged proactive policies
which protect the environment and promote public health. Active
programs compatible with a precautionary approach include the following
five programs:
1. Hazardous
Waste Management. This program provides residents and small
businesses with education and collection services for hazardous
waste. The program is an example of taking anticipatory action to
prevent harm and is self-described as “an intensive effort
to reduce and properly manage that waste through education, collection
and technical assistance.”
2. Integrated
Pest Management (IPM). Both the City of Seattle and King County
are working to reduce pesticide use on public lands managed by the
City and County by using an alternative pest control method, called
Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The IPM strategy is an example
of choosing safer alternatives and is defined by the County as:
“a holistic approach to pest (including weed) management.
IPM stresses the prevention of pest problems through design and
maintenance practices, and uses a range of pest management techniques,
including biological, cultural, and mechanical, with chemical controls
as a last resort.”
3. King
County Recycled Product Procurement Policy. King County has
a policy to promote the purchase of “environmentally preferable
products.” Preferable alternatives are described by the County
as:
“products that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health
and the environment when compared with competing products that serve
the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition,
production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation,
maintenance, or disposal of the product.”
4. The Smart
Growth Initiative. In 2003 King County initiated a program called
Smart Growth, designed to encourage low impact development and to
reduce the environmental impact of housing projects, as directed
by the Built Green Ordinance (Built
Green website). Demonstration Smart Growth projects will feature
green building construction principles and “emphasize recycled
materials, energy efficiency, natural habitat protection, and other
environmentally friendly construction practices.”
5. Public Education Programs. King County is a recognized
leader in public education. The County has received two awards from
the Environmental Education Association of Washington (EEAW). The
King County Park System won the “Organizational Excellence
Award,” and the County’s School and Youth Program of
the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program won the “Community
Catalyst Award.” King County has also formed a partnership
with the nonprofit Nature Vision, which “will keep environmental
education classes alive in King County schools.” Effective
public education on health and the environment is a critical element
underlying the success of the precautionary principle.
Given that Seattle and King County are inclined to
use a precautionary approach, including the precautionary principle
within their respective Comprehensive Plans would make for more
consistent local government. Furthermore, a precautionary approach
would ensure that the City of Seattle and King County sustain a
high quality environment and protect public health for residents.
Portland,
OR -
Applying the Precautionary Principle - (top)
The Oregon
Center for Environmental Health - advocated use of the precautionary
principle in Oregon. OCEH
precautionary principle information.
“On September 23, 2004 public health and the environment advocates
celebrated victory as Portland City Council and Multnomah County Pass
Precautionary Principle Resolution.” (learn
more. "On April 20, 2004 the OCEH partnered
with the Sustainable
Development Commission (SDC) of Portland and Multnomah County
to sponsor the Precautionary Principle Workshop: A New Approach
for Protecting Human Health and the Environment." (learn
more)
Opposing
Views
- Precautionary Principle - (top)
American Chemical Council - "What
the Precautionary Principle is"
Precautionary
Principle a Risky Gambit - by Michael De Alessi, Wednesday,
July 16, 2003, ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle
Risky
living - by Colin Berry (June 13, 2003) - at www.spiked-online.com
(available online)
While few of us think about any real, cumulative risk that we might
face (for example, the chances of someone our age dying within one
calendar year from today), we are increasingly anxious about imperceptible
risks - those that usually rank around the 'getting struck by lightning'
figures.
Science,
risk and the price of precaution - by Sandy Starr, (May 1, 2003)
- at www.spiked-online.com (available online)
Spiked-survey: The scientific community imagines what society would
have lost, had the 'precautionary principle' governed science in
the past.
Risk,
science and society - by Professor Sir Colin Berry, (Nov. 1,
2003) - at www.spiked-online.com (available online)
One of the UK's top scientists explains why the precautionary principle
- the substitution of prejudice for data - leads to irrational convictions.
The
price of precaution - by Dr Michael Fitzpatrick, (April 4, 2001)
- at www.spiked-online.com (available online)
The official endorsement of the BSE inquiry marked the acceptance
of the precautionary principle as a central tenet of government
- and the response to foot-and-mouth reveals just how high the cost
of this principle is.
Precautionary
principle stifles discovery - Søren Holm and John Harris,
Commentary in: Nature 400:398, July 29, 1999. (available online)
Soren Holm and John Harris define the precautionary principle as
follows: 'When an activity raises threats of serious or irreversible
harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures
that prevent the possibility of harm shall be taken even if the
causal link between the activity and the possible harm has not been
proven or the causal link is weak and the harm is unlikely to occur.'
Abstracts
- Precautionary Principle - (top)
The Precautionary Principle Also
Applies to Public Health Actions - by Bernard D. Goldstein,
MD
Bernard D. Goldstein is with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate
School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Bernard
D. Goldstein, MD, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public
Health, 130 DeSoto St, Pittsburgh, PA 15261 (e-mail: bdgold@pitt.edu).
The precautionary principle asserts that the burden of proof for
potentially harmful actions by industry or government rests on the
assurance of safety and that when there are threats of serious damage,
scientific uncertainty must be resolved in favor of prevention.
Yet we in public health are sometimes guilty of not adhering to
this principle.
Examples of actions with unintended negative consequences include
the addition of methyl tert-butyl ether to gasoline in the United
States to decrease air pollution, the drilling of tube wells in
Bangladesh to avoid surface water microbial contamination, and village
wide parenteral antischistosomiasis therapy in Egypt. Each of these
actions had unintended negative consequences. Lessons include the
importance of multidisciplinary approaches to public health and
the value of risk–benefit analysis, of public health surveillance,
and of a functioning tort system—all of which contribute to
effective precautionary approaches.
REACH
- Precautionary Principle - (top)
European
Commission - REACH Program
On 29 October 2003, the Commission adopted a proposal for a new
EU regulatory framework for chemicals. The proposed new system is
called REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals).
Site contains extensive information on the REACH program (accessed
29 April 2004).
Q
and A on the new Chemicals policy REACH
Q
and A on REACH - Part II - 22.11.2004 (pdf ~220K)
White
Paper on the Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy
Estimated costs between $3.3 billion and $6.1 billion over 11 years.
Estimated benefits $59 billion over 30 years. This is based on the
assumption that REACH would reduce disease related to chemical exposure
by 0.1%.
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