That is a fairly good definition of chemical pollution. This site goes on to mention how chemical pollution takes place; transportation, household, industries and factories. Those are fairly standard places to look for chemical pollution, but, all too often chemical pollution occurs in more intimate places, such as children's toys, formula bottles and water pipes when exposed to corrosive effects. There are also issues with furniture cloth, airborne contaminates that migrate into a home from outside.
There is an organization that monitors this mess. I believe they are out of Europe. So, when the USA eliminates moral agencies from the federal government there are still strong alternatives available.
The Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) (click here) is one of three independent non-food scientific committees that advise the European Commission on matters of consumer safety, public health and the environment.
The committee was set up in 2004 to provide the European Commission with scientific advice on health and environmental risks. It replaced the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE).
SCHER addresses questions relating to examinations of the toxicity and ecotoxicity of chemicals, biochemicals and biological compound whose use may have harmful consequences for human health and the environment.
In particular, the Committee addresses questions related to new and existing chemicals, the restriction and marketing of dangerous substances, biocides, waste, environmental contaminants, plastic and other materials used for water pipe work (e.g. new organics substances), drinking water, indoor and ambient air quality. It addresses questions relating to human exposure to mixtures of chemicals, sensitisation and identification of endocrine disrupters.
The SCHER complies with the principles of independence, transparency and confidentiality. SCHER members therefore make a declaration of commitment to act in the public interest and a declaration of interests; requests for opinions, agendas, minutes and opinions are published; work and publications are done with regard to the need for commercial confidentiality.
This initiative was created in 2001 from the vision that:
- in the environmental and health fields, the current state of scientific knowledge is an essential
basis for constructive debates and informed decisions. - scientific information available on these issues is often partially unreliable, because it is
usually provided,- either by stakeholder organizations (businesses, NGOs...), which tend to defend their
opinions or their own financial or political interests, - or by individual experts, which are often tempted to put forward their own personal
views.
- either by stakeholder organizations (businesses, NGOs...), which tend to defend their
The founders agreed that the current state of scientific knowledge on these issues is best provided
by scientific consensus reports, produced by large panels of scientific experts under the authority of
international organizations, such as WHO, FAO, IARC, UNEP, and the European Commission.
by scientific consensus reports, produced by large panels of scientific experts under the authority of
international organizations, such as WHO, FAO, IARC, UNEP, and the European Commission.
