Copenhagen, 11/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - In a report published on Thursday, "Late Lessons from early warnings: the precautionary principle 1896-2000", the European Environment Agency (EEA) examines how the concept of precaution has been applied - or not - by policy makers over the past century when faced with a wide range of hazards linked to public health and the environment in Europe and America. The EEA draws a number of important lessons on the policy-making process. Executive Director Jiménez-Beltran believes that the report should improve mutual understanding between Europe and the United States, whose views diverge, especially over the safety of synthetic hormones in beef and genetically modified plants and foods.
The cases highlighted in the report are, the BSE crisis; the use of synthetic hormones and antimicrobial agents for promoting growth in farm animals; the use of synthetic DES hormones to prevent miscarriages; the use of medical radiation, asbestos, CFCs, benzene chemicals, MTBE (a substitute for lead in petrol), tributyl tin (an antifoulant for boats and ships); PCBs chemical contamination of North America's Great Lakes and air pollution from sulphur dioxide. The report demonstrates the numerous situations where the lack of an adequate response on behalf of our policy-makers or where warning have gone completely unheeded, have had unexpected and costly repercussions both on a human and environmental scale. Consequences range from the hundreds of thousands of people dying from asbestos cancer (mesothelioma), to the over-exploitation and subsequent collapse of fisheries in Canada, California and Scotland, with a devastating on the local communities.
The "late lessons" drawn from the studies indicate that it is necessary to: be realistic about how materials are used and disposed of in everyday life; not allow regulatory authorities to be "captured" by vested interests; not allow one or two materials to monopolise the market - as was the case with asbestos, CFCs and PCBs- and develop diverse ways of meeting human needs; when assessing risks, ensure that not only all relevant specialist expertise is used but also "lay" and local knowledge; follow up early warnings of problems, with long-term environmental and health monitoring. More generally, the report indicates that apart from the advantages of its application on a health and environmental level, the use of the precautionary principle can stimulate innovation and scientific activity. The report does, however, stress that harmful and costly misuse of the precautionary principle will mean losing opportunities for innovation and scientific investigation. The report can be consulted on the EEA web site: http: //reports.eea.eu.int./environmental_issue_report_2001_22/en