Jill Evans, Plaid Cymru MEP for the whole of Wales, is attending a photo-call on Monday 14th November 2005 at 10.30am by the Aneurin Bevan statue in Queen Street Cardiff. The event has been organised by WWF Cymru to coincide with the First Reading of the New Chemicals Regulation (REACH) in the European Parliament on 17th November 2005.

Jill Evans said:

“I will be supporting moves to strengthen these new regulations. When WWF tested some people in Wales for the level of toxins in the blood I was horrified to find that I had the highest number of different chemicals in my blood – 33 different chemicals in total. It is vital that we get the strongest regulations possible because people today are walking around with many different hazardous man-made chemicals in their bodies and we have absolutely no idea as to what the long-term health effects might be.”

The REACH regulations need to be strengthened in order to get manufacturers to substitute hazardous chemicals, currently used in everyday products, with safer alternatives. There is also a need to ensure that there is a full list of chemical ingredients in consumer products.

Jill Evans further commented:

“WWF and the Women’s Institute are to be congratulated for highlighting this important issue. It is not acceptable to have weak chemicals regulations. Weak regulations will promote the interests of profit before public health and the environment.

I call upon the other MEPs from Wales, Eluned Morgan, Glenys Kinnock and Jonathan Evans, to join me in fighting to strengthen the REACH regulations. ”

Diwedd/Ends.