Bush Administration Supports Toxic Chemical Treaty, with Restrictions

Date: April 10, 2002

Source: News Room

The Bush administration has asked Congress to support a global treaty phasing out a dozen highly toxic chemicals, but without a means for adding more pollutants to the elimination list. The treaty includes a provision anticipating more pollutants being added for removal in the future based on international scientific review. Environmentalists noted that most of the pollutants among the group commonly known as the "dirty dozen" - PCBs, dioxins and furans, along with DDT and other pesticides - already are no longer used in industrial countries such as the United States. Thus, they said it is essential to include the provision for extending the list to more pollutants that have been shown to contribute to developmental defects, cancer and other problems in humans and animals.

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