Shhhhhhh, the European Chemical industry are trying to gain influence for their products by lobbying the European Commission directly. ClamadiEU, CEO of Solvay and Chair of CeFIC is backed in this quest by one Alistair James Steel, under the pretentious title “Deputy Director General”, who previously utterly failed to protect the environment in Great Britain during a disastrous term in charge of Rhodia UK Limited between 2001-2006.
Perhaps as a former employee of the Frenchman under Rhodia, he is his “right hand man in Europe.” During this time their company were polluting beaches, spilling acid without informing the Environment Agency and had the headache of a legionnaires outbreak connected to the Trinity Street site. Oh and did I leave out the fact that they were poisoning birds at a certain Tividale tip with white phosphorus, yet denied this based on so called “risk” based “evidence” that they did not want to be tested?
With such a pedigree, what could possibly go wrong with ensuring citizens of the EU are in safe hands from the reported 29,000 companies that they claim to represent? 😳
But the chemical industry are very, very, very sly, as I have found out directly from my dealings with Albright and Wilson, Rhodia and now Solvay. Despite claims of wanting to protect public health and the environment, they base these claims on deniability of proving that their chemical products are “harmful” until proven guilty. It is this burden of “proof” of course which is highly controversial and very difficult to pin down. The EU takes a precautionary approach whereas, CeFIC appears to want to follow the American model where nearly everything gets approved. TTIP is what they both want, and this trade agreement must be stopped.
One of the main controversial chemicals in recent times involving the EU concerns Glyphosate. This is principally used in herbicides, and in particular Monsanto’s “Round-up” products. It is certainly NOT a “safe” product in the environment.
“There is a reasonable correlation between the amount ingested and the likelihood of serious systemic sequelae or death. Advancing age is also associated with a less favourable prognosis. Ingestion of >85 mL of the concentrated formulation is likely to cause significant toxicity in adults. Gastrointestinal corrosive effects, with mouth, throat and epigastric pain and dysphagia are common. Renal and hepatic impairment are also frequent and usually reflect reduced organ perfusion.” Glyphosate poisoning. Bradberry SM, Proudfoot AT, Vale JA.2004
glyphosate
Industrially glyphosate relies on phosphorus acid in one form of its manufacture, and at one time Albright and Wilson directly produced this for Monsanto who first marketed it in 1974. The other method also involves a phosphorus derivative product made by Rhodia called Dimethyl hydrogen phosphite. This was known as “Albrite® DMHP“. A brochure from the mid 2000’s confirms.
Other producers manufacturing the chemical include Dupont, Bayer Cropscience and Dow AgroSciences. The chemical industry therefore is directly connected to this product, and its continued sales and promotion are therefore threatened by any regulation which would hinder its use. Any “ban” would be catastrophic for their profits.
The problem for the chemical industry and Monsanto however is that many studies are now showing this exact thing- that glyphosate is both harmful to life and is also a likely carcinogen. Whilst the US EPA pander to the chemical lobby, it is becoming more clear that the product is causing systemic harm to people. Playing on semantics some scientists deny that glyphosate itself is harmful, but some of its constituent parts may be. Well what a load of crap that is.
A major concern has been that glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor. Scientific research has demonstrated this. Though Monsanto hide behind US EPA protection, independent science tells a different story.
One would think then that Monsanto were up against it in terms of the European Union taking a firm stance on banning such a concerning harmful product to environmental health- well that would be where ClamadiEU , Steel and co come into the equation to at least in part lobby on their behalf. ClamadiEU also belongs to the international lobbyist group ICCA, which includes of course Monsanto. They are also signed up to TTIP and would welcome watered down regulation in the EU area to boost sales and cull costs.
A meeting took place as revealed in a freedom of information request to the European Director of Environment where Cefic representatives including Clamadieu and Steel met with top EU bureaucrats. Without even mentioning Monsanto or their product, they did raise the spectre of endocrine disruptors, and it is patently clear that they are talking about glyphosate and round up.
“These are issues which need to be discussed with EU policy makers as a matter of extreme urgency and on behalf of our President Mr Jean-Pierre Clamadieu I Invite you to meet our Executive Committee comprising thirteen CEOs and industry leaders from the major European chemicals companies during a window of opportunity from 16:30 on 3rd December through to the evening of 4th December 2014 when they will all be in Brussels to meet. As the Executive Committee only meets in Brussels twice a year this is a rare opportunity to arrange these face to face meetings.”
Clearly the meeting went well according to Cefic, in that the commissioner had agreed to a meeting to resolve the issue of endocrine disruptors and the chemical industries concerns.
Other developments since this December 2014 meeting should be considered. Bayer, a German pharmaceuticals manufacturer has recently made a bid to buy the American spray poisoners for $62 billion.
At the meeting in December with the commissioner was Cefic executive and board member Bayer’s Michael König. Oh how convenient that Monsanto through these intermediaries and Bayer with a certain vested interest are allowed to plant a seed into the minds of the EU hierarchy, to help unpick EU legislation to the two companies benefit but little to EU citizens.
And so even more recently it appears the scandalous Cefic has helped triumph in its lobbying in the EU through stumbling inaction to allow Monsanto’s cancer in a can to continue to flood the EU market without being banned for another 18 months. Should be good news for all of their companies profits, but at what cost to the environment and human health?
Softly softly, whisper whisper, it is the way of the chemical industry that will gas us in our beds, kill us with poison in our food and defer responsibility and deniability to a regulator who is their sock puppet.