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Thanks ChrisChris Winder, Professor of Toxicology and Occupational Health, School of Safety Science at the University of New South Wales recently stepped down from his membership of the CEF. Chris was one of the original members of the CEF and we will miss greatly his specialist toxicological knowledge and his daunting institutional knowledge of the creation and development of NICNAS; we've never heard anyone else say that they were the first to utter the words "National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme"!
While Chris felt that he was no longer able to devote sufficient time to CEF following his recent promotion to Professor, we are pleased that he has agreed to be one of the three community representatives on the NICNAS Nanotechnology Advisory Group (see below). Productivity Commission SubmissionLed by Renata Musolino, the CEF has prepared a submission to the Productivity Commission's Study of Chemicals and Plastics Regulation. The CEF submission and all other submissions, as well as general information about the Study can be accessed through the first link.
The CEF submission has 16 major conclusions and recommendations, including (and heavily summarised here):
Existing Chemicals Review ImplementationOur last Bulletin flagged the development of an Implementation Strategy for the Existing Chemicals Review. The strategy was approved by the former government.
The main mechanisms for driving the implementation are based upon the structure that was agreed to have worked well for the Review, namely a Steering Group of representatives from government, industry and the community assisted by representative technical working groups. The three CEF representatives nominated for the Implementation Steering Group (ISG) were Jane Bremmer, Pamela Grassick and Liz Hanna. The ISG met for the first time on 1 November 2007, with Bro Sheffield-Brotherton deputising for Jane Bremmer for that meeting. At the meeting, the ISG finalised its terms of reference, began developing a work plan, agreed to prioritise recommendations on assessment products, selection criteria and prioritisation processes and decided to establish a technical working group to push this work forward. It also agreed to establish a consultancy for scoping a mechanism for adverse events reporting, with an initial focus on existing data collection systems. Regulatory Reform of DisinfectantsLike many aspects of chemicals regulation in Australia, the regulatory system for disinfectants is complex and confusing (to an extent impossible to summarise in a short Bulletin). NICNAS and the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) engaged a consultant to review the current Australian and overseas regulatory practices for disinfectants with a view to recommending an alternative, best practice regulatory framework for disinfectants in Australia.
NICNAS proposed to the CEF that the consultant's report and an associated plain English guide be released for public comment in December 2007, to hold public meetings at locations yet to be decided in February 2008 and to conclude the public comment period in late February / March 2008.
The CEF advised NICNAS on: If you wish to receive further information on the Review please contact Bob Graf at NICNAS. Multiple Chemical Sensitivity ReviewThe CEF is very aware that that the MCS Review mentioned in the last Bulletin is a matter of particular interest and concern to many community stakeholders, and that this concern has been exacerbated by much slower progress of the Review than anticipated at the time of our last Bulletin.
At its meeting on 27 November the CEF commented on the internal draft review report prepared by NICNAS and the Office of Chemical Safety (OCS). We advised that significant elements of the draft report, and particularly some of the language therein, had the potential to cause distress to MCS sufferers and their supporters. CEF has advised NICNAS that it did not believe the Report was suitable for release in its current form. The next steps are up to NICNAS and OCS - and the CEF will determine what, if anything, it may be able to do when those steps are taken. Nanotechnology Advisory GroupWe provided some background on nanotechnology in our last Bulletin. CEF remains concerned that government support and promotion of nanotechnology dwarfs and precedes both research into the effects of nanoparticles and the establishment of regulatory mechanisms to protect worker, public and environmental health.
The Australian Office of Nanotechnology published its Implementation plans for the National Nanotechnology Strategy in October 2007. Click for NICNAS information on Nanotechnology. The establishment of a NICNAS Nanotechnology Advisory Group has been delayed, but it will have its first meeting on 17 March 2008. The group will have three members each from the community and industry, and two members each from academia and NICNAS. The community representatives will be, subject to their acceptance of an invitation to participate from NICNAS, Renata Musolino, Chris Winder and Bro Sheffield-Brotherton. Please contact them if you have any issues you would like to be considered. |
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