Global Environmental Health in the 21st Century From Governmental Regulation to Corporate Social Responsibility: Workshop Summary (2007) / Chapter Skim
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As more companies, federal agencies, and organizations choose to implement EMSs, such as ISO 14001, it is important to consider the current state of the research concerning the relative successes and obstacles associated with existing systems in practice and what impact it will have, if any, on environmental health. Despite wide implementation, EMSs are frameworks, or a tool, noted Edward Pinero of the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive.
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A combination of approaches coupled with command and control regulation, insurance and supply chain incentives, and community pressure will lead to sustainable improvement after a few years, noted general discussion participants. The Environmental Impact of Environmental Management Systems Environmental performance is defined by the reduction of pollution or other kinds of resource uses, whether it is water or energy use, said Cary Coglianese of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
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Sixteen years ago, the industry recognized the importance of improving environmental health and safety performance and their dialogue with the public and launched Responsible Care, which evolved into an environmental health and safety management systems approach. Today's chemical industry is very sensitive and responsive to the growing number of public concerns regarding the use of chemical products, said Terry Yosie of the American Chemistry Council.
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Central to the current debate about environmental control in the European Union is the precautionary principle. The Rio Declaration defined the precautionary principle as: "Nations shall use the precautionary approach to protect the environment where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage.
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Goldstein argued that one needs to build in an evaluation to determine if the precautionary approach is warranted. Global Corporate Policies on Health, Safety, and the Environment Voluntary corporate policies can provide improved protection of human health and the environment, particularly in poor countries, noted Barry Castleman, Environmental Consultant.
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In the European Union, measures enacted on the basis of the precautionary principle are not permanent, and are regularly reviewed on a case-to-case basis as more scientific information comes available. Working with REACH: Practical Observations James Bus of Dow Chemical Company suggested that industry should not be viewed as pushing back on the REACH initiative in the context that it should not move forward.
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is the primary federal legislation in Canada that is used to protect human health from environmental risks. As broadly defined, substances of concern are both organic and inorganic matter and include almost anything in the environment that could be a potential hazard to human health, noted Daniel Krewski, Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa.
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Every year, there are a few chemicals that undergo testing through the use of test rules; however, to get a test rule written, the government needs to make a proof of unreasonable risk in order to have the chemical tested. Without any data on hazard and exposure, it is difficult to have a test rule written, observed Goldman.
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Poverty has a substantial impact on the environment because the poor have less access to information and services; less formal or non-relevant education is associated with risk behaviors, especially by youth; and economic need forces poor women and migrants into risky work environment that poses high risk in communicable diseases. Furthermore, poor neighborhoods tend to have fewer doctors and pharmacies, inadequate transportation and recreation facilities, and lower availability of healthy food and clean water.
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, noted Burton Singer of Princeton University. The general objective of CHOP was to target selected health issues in communities potentially affected by the oil pipeline project while specifically focusing on locations in the vicinity of permanently staffed project field facilities.
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Tufts in their book ethics, published in 1908, raised the concept that it is not sufficient to view companies as purely economic machines, and that companies should be involved in public duty as well (Dewey and Tufts, 1908)
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