Ann. Rev. Public Health. 1987. 8:1-19
Copyright © 1987 by Annual Reviews Inc. All rights reserved
INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY OF
HAZARDOUS PRODUCTS,
INDUSTRIES, AND WASTES
B. I. Castleman
1722 Linden Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21217
V. Navarro
Department of Health, Policy, and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene
an Publi c Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205
A PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM
A characteristic of the 1970s in many Western developed industrialized
countries, including the United States, was the expansion of goverment
intervention and regulation in the areas of occupational and environmental
healthandconsumerprotection. Thisexpansionwasanoutcomeofademand
by the maority of such countries populations for better protection of the
environment and the health and safety of workers and onsumers. This
demand has remained undiminished in the 1980s. Although some gov
ernments (including that ofthe United States) have recently triedto weaken
their regulations, these attempts have not been popular and have not re
pondedtoageneralmandate. Onthecontrary, pollafterpollhasshownthat
protection of workers, consumers, and th environmentstill has widespread
supportamongWestepoplations, evenwhenheuesionableassumpion
ismade that protection slows down economic growth.
But while some countries have established an extensive body o law to
protectthepublicfromoccupational environmental, andonsumerhazards,
othercountrieshavenotyetdoneso/hedisparitiesinnationalregulationand
otherfactors controllinghazardous products, processes, andwasteshavehad
some undesirable consequences. Pesticides, drugs, and onsumer products
0163-7525705 10-000102.00
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