Chemical regulation is a crucial aspect of safeguarding children’s health, according to a recent report published in the New England Journal of Medicine by the Consortium for Children’s Environmental Health. The report emphasizes the need for testing and regulating chemicals and chemical products with the same rigor as prescription drugs to prevent the rising rates of chronic illnesses among children.
The global chemical inventories currently consist of approximately 350,000 products, including manufactured chemicals, chemical mixtures, and plastics. Despite the known risks of environmental pollution and human exposure, the production of synthetic chemicals and plastics is not adequately regulated by existing legal or policy frameworks.
The authors of the report, including experts such as epidemiologist Philip Landrigan, MD, and environmental law scholar David Wirth, advocate for new laws that prioritize health protection over the unrestricted production of chemicals and plastics. They propose that chemicals should undergo rigorous, independent premarket testing to ensure they are not toxic at anticipated levels of exposure before entering the market.
Furthermore, the authors recommend that chemical manufacturers and brands should be required to monitor their products post-market release, similar to the monitoring of prescription drugs, to assess any potential long-term negative health effects.
The report is the result of a two-year project involving independent scientists from 17 renowned scientific institutions in the U.S. and Europe. It aims to address the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in children, which are linked to manufactured synthetic chemicals.
The incidence of NCDs in children has risen significantly in the past few decades, with childhood cancer, male reproductive birth defects, neurodevelopmental disorders, pediatric asthma, obesity, and type 2 diabetes all showing alarming increases. These trends are attributed to the widespread use of synthetic chemicals derived from fossil fuels, which have expanded exponentially since 1950.
Despite the growing evidence of the harmful effects of synthetic chemicals on children’s health, current regulations fall short in assessing their toxicity and long-term impacts. Less than 20% of chemicals have been tested for toxicity, and even fewer have been evaluated for their effects on infants and children.
To address these challenges and protect children from the dangers of synthetic chemicals, the authors propose a comprehensive overhaul of current laws and regulations. This includes implementing new laws for premarket testing of chemicals, mandating chemical footprinting, developing safer chemicals, and advocating for policy reforms at the national and global level.
Lead author Philip Landrigan emphasizes the urgency of addressing the pollution caused by synthetic chemicals and plastics, stating that unchecked production endangers children’s health and humanity’s reproductive capacity.
In conclusion, the report underscores the critical need for stricter regulations and a more precautionary approach to chemical management to safeguard children’s health and mitigate the adverse effects of synthetic chemicals on future generations. It calls for a collective effort to prioritize health protection and sustainable practices in the production and use of chemicals and chemical products.
