Some results may be known relatively soon, but this is a major undertaking that will take years to complete for all the common toxicants. The payoff will be well worth the investment. This is the cutting edge of 21st Century medicine. The new technology will also speed regulatory decision-making based on test results of a chemical's toxicity or carcinogenicity, says Dr. Olden. Discussion will focus on limitations on manufacture and use of POPs, national action plans, funding, technical assistance, exemptions for DDT, which is used to combat malaria, and stockpiles of obsolete or unwanted pesticides.
Negotiators hope to establish criteria identifying other POPs for elimination.
The precautionary principle states that action should be taken against a chemical when there is sufficient evidence to prove that it threatens human and animal health, even in the absence of conclusive evidence. Gas and solar hot water heaters are an accepted part of our homes. Air pollution is wasteful, damages the environment, and jeopardizes human health. A market-based small emissions reduction program requires, however, a means of measuring and influencing small sources of emissions. In an orchard in western Canada, genetically enhanced fruit trees kill insects on contact, without pesticide sprays.