Environmental Reports and Links

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REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007.


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The North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation obliges the Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to “periodically address the state of the environment in the territories of the Parties.”


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If you are living in the eastern United States, the environment around you is being harmed by air pollution. From Adirondack forests and Shenandoah streams to Appalachian wetlands and the Chesapeake Bay, a new report by the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and The Nature Conservancy has found that air pollution is degrading every major ecosystem type in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic United States. The report, Threats From Above: Air Pollution Impacts on Ecosystems and Biological Diversity in the Eastern United States, is the first to analyze the large-scale effects that four air pollutants are having across a broad range of habitat types (see inset). The majority of recent studies focus on one individual pollutant. Over 32 experts contributed to the effort; the prognosis is not good.

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North America 2030: An Environmental Outlook:
The issues presented in this discussion paper will inform the agenda of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation’s (CEC) Joint Public Advisory Committee’s (JPAC) environmental outlook conference to be held on 25 June 2008. In addition to the JPAC’s consideration of these topics, the CEC Council has asked the Secretariat to summarize and assess the existing research concerning the major forces and underlying trends that are likely to impact the environment in North America to 2030. This research is expected to be published later in 2008. These initiatives are intended to assist the CEC in the consideration and development of its 2010-2015 Strategic Plan by highlighting possible areas for cooperative action to support environmental mitigation, adaptation and innovation strategies across all three countries.

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Many chemicals widely used by industry and commonly found at home are toxic to the developing brain and can cause developmental disabilities including behavioral and learning disabilities, hyperactivity, attention deficit, lower IQ and motor skill impairment.
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"Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, attention deficit disorder, mental retardation, and cerebral palsy are common, costly, and can cause lifelong disability. Their causes are mostly unknown. A few industrial chemicals (eg, lead, methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs], arsenic, and toluene) are recognised causes of neuro-developmental disorders and subclinical brain dysfunction. Exposure to these chemicals during early fetal development can cause brain injury at doses much lower than those affecting adult brain function. Recognition of these risks has led to evidence-based programmes of prevention, such as elimination of lead additives in petrol. Although these prevention campaigns are highly successful, most were initiated only after substantial delays. Another 200 chemicals are known to cause clinical neurotoxic effects in adults. Despite an absence of systematic testing, many additional chemicals have been shown to be neurotoxic in laboratory models. The toxic effects of such chemicals in the developing human brain are not known and they are not regulated to protect children. The two main impediments to prevention of neurodevelopmental deficits of chemical origin are the great gaps in testing chemicals for developmental neurotoxicity and the high level of proof required for regulation. New, precautionary approaches that recognise the unique vulnerability of the developing brain are needed for testing and control of chemicals."

Developmental neurotoxicity of industrial chemicals