In Brief

EUROPE ADOPTS COMPREHENSIVE CHEMICALS LEGISLATION

Following three years of negotiations, the European Parliament adopted a comprehensive law on the manufacturing, marketing, import and use of chemical substances on 13 December. Entitled REACH -- Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals -- the legislation aims to protect consumers and the environment against the adverse effects of chemicals found in products like paint, detergents, cars and computers.

According to European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas, REACH will "increase our knowledge about chemicals, enhance safety, and spur innovation, while encouraging substitution of highly dangerous chemicals by safer ones". The law has been described as one of the most complex and far-reaching EU regulations ever.

Under REACH, 30,000 chemicals produced or imported into the EU will be registered with a central agency in Helsinki over a period of 11 years. The most hazardous chemicals will be subject to testing, and will require authorisation to be used. Persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals are set to be phased out if suitable alternatives exist; if not, companies will have to submit a plan for developing such alternatives. However, they will not be banned outright, something environmental groups have criticised.

REACH places the burden of proof on the chemicals industry, with the public sector responsible for oversight. Thousands of chemicals that have been in use for years without testing will now undergo screening. Industry groups have criticised the new law for being overly cumbersome and expensive.

Trading partners such as the US, as well as developing countries, have also criticised REACH, claiming it will restrict trade (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 16 June 2006, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/06-06-16/story4.htm). The EU, however, has said that the legislation will set a new global standard, hoping other nations would follow suit.

The EU Environment Council, meeting on 18 December, is expected to formally adopt the package of legislation, allowing REACH to enter into force on 1 June 2007.

"EU to Usher in New Chemicals Era with Landmark Law," REUTERS, 12 December 2006; "Landmark EU chemical law passed," BBC, 13 December 2006; "Europe Parliament to Regulate Chemicals," GUARDIAN, 13 December 2006; "REACH: Commission welcomes European Parliament vote on new EU chemicals legislation," EU PRESS RELEASE, 13 December 2006.

BURKINA FASO TO INTRODUCE GM COTTON

Burkina Faso, a leading cotton producer in West Africa, recently announced that its farmers will be allowed to plant genetically modified (GM) cotton in the 2007 growing season. The country initiated field trials in 2003 with the support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). According to Agriculture Minister Salif Diallo "this new technology will reduce the cost of production for farmers and eliminate the predators of the cotton sector". This move makes Burkina Faso the first major cotton grower in the region to turn to GM technology in a bid to weather falling prices on the global market.

Farmers and civil society groups, however, said that GM cotton provided no solution, and questioned claims that output would grow by 30 percent. According to the Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN), "GMOs are not a solution for Africa. The major problems that agriculture faces in our countries include incompetent water management, low soil fertility in many regions, lack of access to the means of production, in particular around issues related to land, lack of access to loans at acceptable interest rates, and the processing of our raw materials on our own continent." In addition, COPAGEN said that the introduction of GM cotton might open the door to "all genetically modified seeds in agriculture and food," which a number of African countries have opposed.

A year ago, local groups raised similar concerns when Mail, supported by USAID, Monsanto and Syngenta, launched field trials of Bt cotton. The farmers groups in Mali stressed that their problem was low cotton prices, not low productivity. The Coalition to Protect Mali's Genetic Heritage further cautioned that paying for GM seeds would be problematic for poor, small-scale farmers, who lack financial resources and are the stewards of a number of unique local seed varieties.

Burkina Faso was one of the four West African sponsors of the cotton initiative at the WTO ahead of the Cancun ministerial in 2003 (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 2 June 2003, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-06-02/story1.htm ), which led to the creation of a sub-committee on cotton under the WTO Committee on Agriculture. The purpose of the cotton initiative was to address structural imbalances in the global market, namely the fact that the massive cotton subsidies provided by developed countries had led to artificially low international prices.

Four million people in Burkina Faso depend on cotton for a living, and cotton sales yield 60 percent of the country's state revenue.

"Impoverished Burkina Faso turns to GMO cotton to boost output, quality," AFP, 3 December 2006; "Burkina Faso's GM cotton causes concern," BUSINESS IN AFRICA, 27 November 2006; "Mali's David v Goliath GM struggle," BBC, 7 December 2005.

EXPERTS CALL FOR RESEARCH INTO POTENTIAL DANGERS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY

A team of experts have called for a programme of systematic risk research into the potential dangers of nanotechnology in consumer products. The team stated that while fears over nanotechnology's risks may be exaggerated, they are not necessarily unfounded, and they merit further research.

Nanotechnology is the science of manipulating materials on a tiny molecular scale. Nanoparticles are one-billionth of a meter in size, which is bigger than an atom but smaller than a red blood cell.

Recently published studies have indicated that nanoparticles' size, surface area, surface chemistry and ability to dissolve in water are all characteristics that may cause environmental or biological harm. Preliminary animal studies have indicated that nanoparticles can cause inflammation, damage brain-cells and trigger pre-cancerous lesions.

Andrew Maynard, the Woodrow Wilson Center's chief science advisor for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, warned in the paper, published in the 15 November edition of Nature journal, that "the threat of possible harm - whether real or imagined - is threatening to slow the development of nanotechnology unless sound, independent and authoritative information is developed on what the risks are and how to avoid them". He and his colleagues posed five "grand challenges" to the research community at large, which include developing instruments to measure exposure to nanomaterials in the air and water, and to measure their short- and long-term toxicity. Maynard and his colleagues are particularly concerned about the eventual accumulation of engineered nanomaterials in water systems.

Over the past year the number of consumer products made with nanotechnology has sky-rocketed to 47, with a 70 percent increase in the last eight months alone. Nanomaterials are now used in everything from high-quality cosmetics to stain-resistant clothing, anti-germ food containers, and anti-bacterial washing machines.

The most often utilised nanomaterial today is nanosilver, which is usually marketed for its anti-bacterial effects.

"Boom in Nanotechnology Poses Consumer Risks, NRDC Warns," NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL, 27 November 2006; "Five-Step Check for Nano Safety," BBC NEWS, 16 November 2006; "Safety of Nanotechnology Needs More Attention," ENVIRONMENT NEWS SERVICE, 28 November 2006.