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The 31st meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties approved the 2023-2024 operating budget and established new research mandates focusing on the nexus of climate, health, and oceans. The meeting also authorized the creation of a Scientific Diplomacy Center, the establishment of an Advisory Committee for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and the invitation of the University of the West Indies and the Global Change Research Center of the National University of Asunción to join the Institute.

The authors highlight the systemic health and environmental risks of plastic, from fossil fuel extraction to waste, specifically noting the dangers of PVC and DEHP in healthcare and the disproportionate impact of plastic manufacturing on marginalized communities and workers. They call for an ambitious global treaty to reduce production and for the Canadian government to phase out hazardous chemicals and single-use plastics.

The report argues that the EU's Restrictions Roadmap is failing to meet its ambition of creating a 'non-toxic environment' due to narrow chemical grouping, excessive industry derogations, and systemic regulatory delays. While the roadmap provides a list of priorities, the authors find that most current restriction initiatives are too limited in scope to effectively tackle the risks of hazardous substances like bisphenols and PFAS.

ClientEarth argues that the current REACH law is inadequate, noting that over 70% of chemicals produced and used are hazardous. The organization calls for 'REACH 2.0' to implement a non-essential use ban with specific phaseout deadlines, strengthen 'no data, no market' registration requirements, and enable the fast-track restriction of entire chemical groups. Additionally, it advocates for stronger enforcement mechanisms—comparable to GDPR fines—and the creation of legal tools for citizens to demand action against pollution in 'toxic hotspots'.

The document is a directory of participants for the 'Taller Regional en Clima, Ambiente y Salud' (Regional Workshop on Climate, Environment, and Health) held in March 2023 in Neuquén, Argentina. It lists the institutional hosts and organizers, including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), and the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE). The text provides detailed professional profiles of the organizers, members of transdisciplinary teams from various American countries, and a list of speakers and experts specializing in climate science, public health, epidemiology, and environmental governance.

The document proposes integrating an essential use (ESU) framework into EU chemical regulations, specifically REACH and sectoral laws, to streamline the phase-out of hazardous substances. It argues that current cost-benefit analyses are too technical and favor 'business as usual'. The proposed ESU approach would evaluate chemicals across three functional levels—technical, product, and societal—to determine if a use is truly critical. It suggests that non-essential uses (e.g., luxury, cosmetics, toys) should be banned by default, while essential uses (e.g., life-saving medical devices) may receive limited, time-bound derogations. The brief emphasizes shifting the burden of proof to companies and establishing clear criteria for 'acceptable loss of performance' when substituting hazardous chemicals.

The document outlines specific demands for the 'REACH 2' reform to address systemic data gaps in the EU chemical market. It argues that the original 'no data, no market' principle failed because registration requirements were too vague and did not cover all substances, such as polymers and low-tonnage chemicals. ClientEarth proposes expanding registration obligations, introducing new reporting duties for downstream users, and increasing transparency for investors and consumers regarding substances of very high concern (SVHCs).

The policy brief proposes reforming the EU's REACH regulation to ensure that exceptions for the use of hazardous substances are rare, short-term, and limited to 'essential uses'. It identifies current failures in the burden of proof and information asymmetry between companies and authorities, suggesting a system where the onus is on companies to prove necessity. Proposed measures include a maximum 10-year limit on exceptions, growing fees to incentivise substitution, and a strict 'essential use' criterion based on the Montreal Protocol.

The document argues that while Bill S-5 is a positive step toward modernizing CEPA, it requires further amendments to ensure the right to a healthy environment is robustly implemented and that toxic substance assessments and risk management are transparent and timely. Key recommendations include establishing mandatory labelling for hazardous consumer products, setting strict timelines for substance assessments, and shifting the burden of proof for confidentiality claims to the requesting party.

Earthjustice and a coalition of environmental and health organizations petitioned the EPA to revoke PMN exemptions for approximately 600 PFAS. The petitioners argue that the weight of scientific evidence proves PFAS pose unreasonable risks to human health and the environment, including to susceptible subpopulations, thereby failing the legal standard for exemptions under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). They highlight that current LVE and LoREX thresholds allow contamination levels far exceeding safe drinking water health advisories and that the EPA's voluntary stewardship program has a withdrawal rate of less than 3 percent.

The report details how the Radford Army Ammunition Plant (RAAP) uses open burn and open detonation (OB/OD) to destroy military munitions, releasing millions of pounds of toxins into the environment. It highlights a lack of transparency from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) and the facility's failure to assess cumulative health impacts, resulting in elevated risks of asthma and cancer for nearby residents. The document recommends ending open burning, implementing third-party alternatives assessments, and conducting community health assessments.

The author contends that health issues such as endometriosis, PCOS, and breast cancer are linked to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and xenoestrogens found in plastics, pesticides, and cosmetics. The text criticizes a medical and social narrative that places the onus of prevention on individual lifestyle choices, arguing instead that corporate profit and inadequate regulation drive exposure. It calls for healthcare professionals to acknowledge these environmental links and urges support for strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) via Bill S-5.

The report documents the physical, mental, and community-level impacts of fracking in Northeastern British Columbia through interviews and surveys. Residents report chronic stress and sleep disruption caused by constant noise, light, and odours, alongside acute symptoms like sore throats and headaches following emissions. Long-term health concerns raised include multiple chemical sensitivities, year-round allergies, respiratory issues, and elevated cancer rates in young people. The document also highlights community degradation, including the loss of social networks as residents move away, food insecurity for Indigenous peoples due to contaminated traditional foods, and public safety risks from transient workers. The authors recommend a moratorium on new natural gas wells in Canada and the implementation of the precautionary principle to protect residents.

CAPE supports the federal government's proposal to ban specific single-use plastics, emphasizing that plastic pollution is a human health crisis as well as an ecological one. The organization highlights health risks including respiratory illness and cancer for fenceline communities and plastics workers, as well as the presence of microplastics in infants. CAPE recommends bringing regulations into force by the end of 2022, removing export exemptions, and expanding the list of banned items to include drink cups, cigarette filters, and products containing additives like PFAS and bisphenols.

Environmental and health groups are calling for the urgent passage of Bill S-5 to modernize the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), arguing that the current law is over 20 years old and fails to address 21st-century risks. The groups recommend specific amendments to ensure the legal recognition of the right to a healthy environment, stricter controls on toxic substances, and improved public access to risk data.

The document is an open letter from a coalition of civil society organisations to the European Commission criticizing the revision process of the "nanomaterial" definition. The authors argue that the 2021 online consultation was rushed and lacked clarity, potentially leading to a definition that excludes substances covered by the 2011 recommendation. They highlight risks such as the under-registration of nanomaterials in REACH and the presence of unauthorised nanomaterials in consumer products. The signatories demand that the Commission justify modifications with real-world examples, conduct transparent public Q&A sessions, and align the definition with the latest scientific evidence, citing EFSA guidance on particle size thresholds.

The report synthesizes findings from a 2021 scoping workshop involving over 150 experts to identify barriers and opportunities for integrating climate, environment, and health (CEH) data and policy in Latin America and the Caribbean. Key obstacles include a lack of standardized, real-time data and a disconnect between academic research and policy application. The document advocates for a transdisciplinary 'community of practice' and identifies researchers, academics, and civil society as core partners for future collaborative research actions.

The report synthesizes findings from an August 2021 scoping workshop involving over 150 experts from 35 countries. It identifies critical data gaps, institutional silos, and a lack of transdisciplinary research as primary obstacles to integrating climate and environmental data into public health decision-making in Latin America and the Caribbean. The document advocates for the creation of a 'community of practice' to bridge the gap between academic research and policy implementation, emphasizing the need for open-data platforms, citizen science, and the inclusion of indigenous and local communities.

The document examines the intersection of gender justice and food sovereignty, arguing that the industrial food system relies on the patriarchal exploitation of women's labor. It advocates for a transition to agroecology and feminist economics to ensure equitable access to land, seeds, and resources, while calling for the recognition and redistribution of unpaid care work.

The document argues that the rapid growth of chemical production, which nearly doubled between 2000 and 2017, necessitates more robust international governance to protect human health and the environment. It identifies four primary challenges: the delayed onset of harm, the ability of chemicals to travel through air and water, their ubiquity in the environment, and information asymmetry between manufacturers and consumers. To address these, the author proposes a governance framework based on ten pillars divided into three stages: chemicals control before market entry (making determinations, accessing information, issuing bans, and restricting use), management during manufacture and use (disseminating information, meeting treaty obligations, monitoring exposure, and ensuring safety), and end-of-life management (preventing new toxic waste and cleaning legacy pollution). The document emphasizes that effective governance requires dedicated government institutions with adequate resourcing.