Chemical hazards pose high cost

By Phil Hampton

Serious gaps in existing state regulations governing the production and use of hazardous chemicals have failed to protect public health and the environment, says a report by researchers at UCLA and UC Berkeley and endorsed by more than 127 faculty members systemwide. Chemical and pollution-related diseases among children and workers in California have cost the state’s insurers, businesses and families an estimated $2.6 billion.

In 2004, more than 200,000 California workers were diagnosed with deadly, chronic diseases such as cancer or emphysema due to chemical exposures in the workplace, and another 4,440 died, according to researchers. Those diseases resulted in $1.4 billion in medical costs, lost wages and benefits. In addition, some 240,000 cases of preventable childhood diseases, adding up to $1.2 million in related costs, are linked to exposure to chemical substances.

The report, "Green Chemistry: Cornerstone to a Sustainable California," includes a set of recommended policy reforms for the state. The California Environmental Protection Agency commissioned the report from the UC Centers for Occupational and Environmental Health (COEH), a multidisciplinary research program based at UCLA, UC Berkeley, Davis, Irvine and San Francisco.

The report's authors recommend "green chemistry" — the design of safer chemicals, materials and manufacturing processes — and better data to help businesses and consumers make informed choices.

"New policies that prevent hazards rather than cleaning up problems after the fact will foster innovation and will help green chemistry emerge as a central part of our economy," said John Froines, COEH director at UCLA and professor of environmental health sciences. "Inaction could put California at risk of losing access to emerging global markets for safer and more sustainable chemicals and products."

Read the complete COEH report.