SafeChemicalPolicy.org

Europe’s Precautionary Junk Science

“Junk Science Rules in the EU, says Parliamentarian,” by American Council on Science and Health.
A Wall Street Journal Op-ed by a member of the EU Parliament decries the direction being taken by science there: it’s back to the dark ages as fear trumps evidence. In a recent opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, MEP Julie Girling, a Brit on the Parliament’s Environment (and Agriculture) committees, issues a warning about the direction EU chemical food regulation is headed: smack-dab into a progress-freezing quest for “zero risk” based on the “precautionary principle.” This sensible-sounding but treacherous dictum says that until or unless solid evidence of the safety of a substance or technology can be produced, that substance should be banned or restricted (and who determines the validity of the evidence is also subject to debate). Her essay is called “The Junk Science Threat to Free Trade.” … Read More.