US Environmental Policy-Making Framework is Dysfunctional, says

["Pat Costner" <pcostner@dialb.greenpeace.org>]

  Cap AP, The chlorine controversy. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 68 
  (6): 455-458 (1996) 
  
  
  Environmental groups have called for a phaseout of the use of chlorine
   in industrial chemistry on the grounds that such use inevitably 
  leads to the production of persistent, bioaccumulative toxins. This 
  policy prescription is based on an application of the Precautionary 
  Principle which holds that industry should demonstrate that its 
  products and processes are safe before allowing releases of product 
  or waste into the environment. The chemical industry has rejected the 
  call to phaseout chlorine, and claims that available data on either 
  the environmental exposure pathways or the toxicology of chlorinated 
  compounds are inadequate to support responsible decision-making. 
  Industry leaders have called for environmental policy to be based on 
  sound science, comparative risk assessment, and cost-benefit 
  analysis. The controversy over chlorine shows that the U.S. 
  environmental policy-making framework may no longer be capable of 
  producing solutions to environmental problems that satisfy important 
  constituencies within our society. 
  
  [ Cap is with the Technology and Policy Program, Massachusetts 
  Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA.] 
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Pat Costner
  P.O. Box 548, or 512 CR 2663
  Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632 USA
  ph:  501-253-8440
  fx:  501-253-5540
  em:  pat.costner@dialb.greenpeace.org
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~