Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

Background to the Chemicals Study

In October 2000, the Royal Commission announced its new study to commence in 2001 into the long-term effects of chemicals in the environment and how these should be controlled. Developments in the chemical industry over the last decade have brought great benefits, but the manufacture and use of chemicals has also created risks to humans and the natural environment. Doubts persist on the effectiveness of present policies in protecting humans and ecosystems from unintended long-term effects.

The study is timely both at a national level, including inputting to the work of the Chemicals Stakeholder Forum, and internationally where there is growing debate on the effectiveness of chemical assessment and control programmes.

The Commission's study of long-term effects of chemicals in the environment was conducted in two stages: first to scope the topics to be included in the Study and second to seek evidence.

Scoping the Study

The Commission identified three major themes for investigation: scientific knowledge and further research needs; how chemicals are best assessed; and the principles that should be followed in regulating chemicals. In the first phase of the study, the Commission sought views on the key issues on which it should concentrate. Interested organisations and individuals submitted views on the eighteen wide-ranging issues identified by the Commission, as well as on other significant issues. The Commission was told of relevant initiatives and studies, and of examples of practical difficulties, or of good practice, in current assessment and regulatory systems. In addition to being posted on the website, the letter inviting the submission of information for the scoping phase of the study was sent to around one hundred organisations in October 2000. This also gave further background to the study. Details of the study were also publicised in a news release.

Around forty sets of comments were received on the proposed scoping of the Chemicals Study. The full text of each of the responses is available, as is a summary of the comments.

Literature review

The RCEP commissioned a literature review of people's values in relation to chemicals and their effects on humans and the natural environment. The study was carried out by Professor Joyce Tait and colleagues at the Scottish Universities Policy, Research and Advice group (SUPRA). A copy of the report may be accessed from the SUPRA website at www.rcss.ed.ac.uk/supra/paper23.html or is available from the Commission's Secretariat.

Seminar

On 19 July 2001, the Commission hosted a seminar at the Institute of Materials in London to gather views from interested parties on current and possible alternative approaches to the use and control of chemicals in society. Entitled Fresh approaches to chemical use and control, the seminar involved around thirty participants. The main points raised during the seminar were brought together in a summary report of the seminar.

Seeking Evidence

Beginning in winter 2001, oral evidence was gathered on particular issues of interest to the Commission.

Consultancy reports

1.   In August 2002, CEFAS and CEH produced a consultancy report for the Commission - Assessing the potential of environmental monitoring for detecting and responding to damage caused by the use of chemicals. The full report (69pp, 472Kb) and the summary (5pp, 124Kb) are available as Adobe Acrobat files.

2.   In November 2002, SPRU (Science and Technology Policy Research, The central aim of the Study was to analyse the key issues and make recommendations designed to reduce the chance that chemical use will cause long-term damage to the natural environment or human health. To assist the Commission in this task, an invitation to submit evidence was sent to over two hundred organisations and individuals in October 2001. Evidence also received from some other interested parties. Details of this phase of the study were also publicised in a news release. We aim to make the full text of evidence available from here, and apologise that this is not yet ready.University of Sussex), wrote a consultancy report for the Commission - A review of the impact of regulation on the Chemical Industry. The full report (45pp, 464Kb) and the summary (2pp, 92Kb) are available as Adobe Acrobat files.

Publication of the report

The Commission's Twenty-fourth Report Chemicals in Products - Safeguarding the Environment and Human Health (Cm 5827, ISBN 0 10 158272 2) was published on 26 June 2003. At the heart of the Commission's concerns are some 30,000 chemicals which are used in the European Union but have never been subject to any comprehensive testing on any risks they pose to humans and ecosystems. The report focuses on chemicals used in products which can gradually find their way into the environment and people's bodies. The press release accompanying the report launch emphasises the need to reduce the risks from chemicals.