Raphael Debbie O, Geiger Chris A
San Francisco Department of the Environment, 11 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94102, USA.
New Solut. 2011;21(3):345-58. doi: 10.2190/NS.21.3.d.
Local governments like the City and County of San Francisco have shouldered the burden of toxic chemicals released into the environment through the substantial costs of health care, environmental cleanup, and infrastructure to purify drinking water, manage wastewater, and manage solid waste. Cities can no longer afford to wait for federal regulation to prevent toxic chemicals from appearing in products used locally. San Francisco's Precautionary Principle Policy calls on the City to act on early warning signs of harm and to use the best available science to identify safer alternatives. Under its umbrella, a wide array of policy tools have been utilized including financial incentives through procurement contracts, certification and promotion of safer business practices, requirements for information disclosure, and bans and restrictions on the sale of products when safer alternatives are readily available. These policies can often become the models for regional, state, and national change.
像旧金山市和县这样的地方政府，通过承担医疗保健、环境清理以及净化饮用水、管理废水和固体废弃物的基础设施等方面的巨额费用，承受了释放到环境中的有毒化学物质带来的负担。城市再也无法承受等待联邦法规来防止有毒化学物质出现在本地使用的产品中。旧金山的预防原则政策呼吁该市对危害的早期预警信号采取行动，并利用现有最佳科学来确定更安全的替代品。在此政策框架下，已运用了一系列广泛的政策工具，包括通过采购合同提供财政激励、认证和推广更安全的商业做法、信息披露要求，以及在有更安全替代品时禁止和限制产品销售。这些政策常常能够成为区域、州和国家变革的典范。
