An Ideal Chemical Policy
After watching all of
the provided videos and reading material, blog about what you think is
essential for an ideal chemical policy and then elaborate on one of the
elements from a public health protection perspective.
For a chemical policy to
be ideal, I believe the following areas are essential:
· Before new chemicals are
introduced to the market it should be mandatory that they are first subjected to
rigorous testing by the government to ensure they are not highly toxic.
· Phasing out of highly
toxic chemicals and replacing them with less harmful substitutes.
· Full transparency provided
to the public concerning health and safety data/information of chemicals.
· Require
public outreach and education programs to improve the public’s knowledge on the
topic of chemicals.
· Provide the public a
mechanism to report highly toxic chemicals being used illegally.
· Ongoing health and safety education/training
for those purchasing and/or handling chemicals.
· Require public reporting
on benchmarks and a timeframe for implementing the chemical policy.
From a public health perspective, “ongoing
health and safety education/training for those purchasing and/or handling
chemicals” is important because it teaches those individuals how to use
chemicals in the least harmful way possible, and refreshes safety guidelines/practices
in their minds. Additionally, ongoing education/training informs those coming
into contact with chemicals of the potential health hazards and risks
associated with the chemicals being used. Educating/training individuals on the
proper handling of chemicals, as well as the potential health risks associated with
being exposed to chemicals, will help to ensure that they are utilizing safe
practices and thereby provide those individuals with better long-term health
outcomes.
References:
· World
Health Organization. Work Place Health Promotion. Retrieved from: http://www.who.int/occupational_health/topics/workplace/en/index1.html
Hello Angie! This is a great post! I agree that all these areas are needed to make an ideal chemical policy. The spread of education and knowledge is key to obtain a good chemical policy.
ReplyDeleteI think that full transparency is an ideal and important aspect of chemical policy, as it ensures awareness to it's employees so that proper handling and safety measures are taken into effect for the protection of everyone involved. Great post!
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