*[Enwl-eng] A toxic Europe
ENWLine
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Leaked documents prove it: the EU Commission could allow even more toxins in our everyday products! All to make it easier and cheaper for companies to do business. It may be cheaper for business, but it is not cheaper for our health. |
Hi,
Think of your living room sofa. There’s a good chance that it's been coated in toxic chemicals to prevent large fires. But what happens in case of a fire? You are more likely to be injured or even killed by inhaling toxic smoke from the chemicals than by the flames themselves. [1] Harmful chemicals are used everywhere, including toys, building materials, and much more. We’re literally all exposed to them. [2]
And now, leaked documents prove that rather than protecting our health and the environment, the EU is considering allowing even more toxins in our everyday products! [3] These new plans are going to be finalised and presented in less than a month, but we still have a fighting chance. Here’s how:
Frans Timmermans, the EU Commission Executive Vice-President, is the person responsible for the new plans. He’s shown time and time again that he’s responsive to citizens’ voices, and it’s clear that he’s a true believer in making Europe truly more sustainable.
But corporations never stop their lobbying, and they see an opportunity to get the Commission to rubber-stamp more toxins. In the end, Timmermans has the power and authority to shape the legislation to protect people and the environment. But if we expect him to fight for us, then we need to show him that we’re behind him.
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There’s scientific evidence that furniture made from tightly woven natural fabrics is not more likely to catch fire than furniture treated with flame retardants, and produces far less toxic gas. [4] But using toxic flame retardants is cheaper for big business, and the EU is letting them do it.
The Commission isn’t expecting people like you and me to be following this news on toxic chemicals too closely -- because they know that things like COVID-19 and the recovery plan are in our minds instead. So, if we do raise our voices, we’re sure we’ll be heard.
All the more, Timmermans needs us to have his back. He has a declaration of support from the European Parliament [5] so he is not completely alone. But a popular voice from all corners of Europe can be a game changer. If at least 100,000 of us make our voices heard to Timmermans, he’ll have the perfect justification to push back against the lobbyists and champion our call.
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Since our community was founded, we’ve run dozens of petitions towards key Commissioners, including Frans Timmermans. When we ran a campaign for ambitious legislation on plastics, Timmermans met us to receive our signatures and pledged to be our “ally”. In the end, we won! [6]
If we all raise our voices together, we’ll be so much louder than the industries that are lobbying against our health and environment -- please join us.
With hope,
David (London), Marta (Warsaw), Olga (Bologna), and the entire WeMove Europe team
PS: In case you needed more reasons to demand ending toxic pollution: Exposure to toxic chemicals increases vulnerability to viral infections, such as the COVID-19. [7] SIGN!
References:
[1]
https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/ehp.1003089
[2]
According to Europe’s own statistics, two thirds of the chemicals produced in
the EU are hazardous to health. According to the World Health Organisation, 1.6
million lives were lost due to exposures to selected chemicals in 2016 alone and
this is likely an
underestimation.
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Chemicals_production_and_consumption_statistics
https://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/chemicals-public-health-impact/en/
[3]
https://meta.eeb.org/2020/07/16/chemical-industry-cheerleader-how-dg-grow-puts-industry-above-public-interest-regulation/
https://www.politico.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/SKM_C45820071709110.pdf
https://www.env-health.org/revealed-european-commission-frictions-over-the-chemicals-strategy-for-sustainability-heals-concerns-for-health-protection/
https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12264-Chemicals-strategy-for-sustainability-
[4]
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0045653517319781
[5]
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/legislative-train/theme-a-european-green-deal/file-chemicals-strategy
[6]
https://www.facebook.com/frans.timmermans/videos/1547541318602055/
https://twitter.com/TimmermansEU/status/912621524959547392
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/product-details/20190121CDT02681
[7]
https://theintercept.com/2020/06/26/coronavirus-toxic-chemicals-pfas-bpa/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7345938/
https://www.ehn.org/toxic-chemicals-coronavirus-2645713170.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1
WeMove Europe is an independent and values-based organisation that seeks to build people power to transform Europe in the name of our community, future generations and the planet.
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