An ideal chemical policy for me would undergo the same testing as pharmaceutical drugs. If we put that much effort into controlling substances before a doctor puts them in or on our body, why shouldn't we do that with our environment? There is so much emphasis on including the environment in one's health evaluation at hospitals, I think this should extend to the health of the environment undergoing more medical-level control.
Here is the FDA's Drug Review Process where it details the various phases of approval needed before a drug can be put to market. The exceptions, as with pharmaceutical drugs, is if the person is going to die and this is a consented last ditch effort to save them without substantive evidence. And rather than animal and human testing, this should be placed in lab-made "habitats" and see what happens to generations of species over time, understand the mechanisms the chemicals attack. And - very important - understand what byproducts various chemicals create as that is one of the persistent chemicals found in our diets and bodies now that is wreaking havoc on developmental processes!
Great idea! If researchers understood what chemicals did in various conditions of our environment (before they hit the market) our society as a whole would be much healthier!
ReplyDeleteI agree that the chemical industry should be put into similar regulations as pharmaceuticals. They go through years of research studies before it can get anywhere near patients!
ReplyDelete