Protection from Hazardous Chemicals
The Future Policy Award 2021 was dedicated to the most effective policy solutions that minimise the adverse effects of exposure to chemicals on human health, with a focus on children’s health, and the environment. The topics addressed by the award were Chemicals Across the life cycle, Highly Hazardous Pesticides, Lead in Paint and Environmentally Persistent Pharmaceutical Pollutants. Especially the topic Lead in Paint was relevant regarding children’s health. It is estimated that that exposure to lead causes 143,000 cases of deaths, and 600,000 cases of intellectual disabilities in children every year.
There is urgent need for inspiring policies to regulate for a future with toxics. Toxic exposure in children is a significant concern due to their smaller size and hence greater relative exposure and because of their developing internal organs. As such, chemical safety plays an important role in protecting children’s health and calls for the sound management of chemicals and waste throughout their life cycles.
Regulating and reducing exposure to hazardous chemicals is also essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 12 (responsible production and consumption).
In tandem with the esteemed Future Policy Award, we have proudly unveiled our latest policy report: “A Healthy Planet for Healthy Children – Policies for a Future without Toxics,” a testament to our commitment to nurturing a sustainable future.
Moreover, we orchestrated a distinguished high-level webinar, fostering dialogue and disseminating invaluable insights on commendable policies and pressing actions imperative for progress.
