Number: 1978-10
WHEREAS, the proliferation of toxic chemicals in a world increasingly reliant on manufactured and synthetic products is among the most pressing problems facing industrialized nations such as the United States; and
WHEREAS, toxic chemicals including heavy metals and many chlorinated hydrocarbons are persistent and subject to bioaccumulation in humans, animals, and plants, posing a threat to public health and ecological systems; and
WHEREAS, such esoteric chemicals as Kepone, PCB’s, PBB’s and Dioxin have been thrust into the headlines and transformed into almost household words by a continuous chain of disasters;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, in annual meeting assembled March 16-19, 1978, in Phoenix, Ariz., hereby urges that governmental agencies, industries, and educational institutions accelerate research efforts to fill existing gaps in scientific knowledge concerning the environmental impact of industrial chemicals on flora and fauna, including humans; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this organization supports and encourages efforts to limit the proliferation of toxic chemicals and to regulate closely their usage and release to the environment, both in the United States and overseas.