European Demographic Decline

[Rock]

I have often though of changing majors from Chemical Engineering to International Business. I never really wanted to be an engineering major anyway. Lately I have been following the EU's attitude about chemicals.

The EU seems to believe that testing every chemical for every ailment will resolve everything from falling sperm counts anong Europen men to hyperactivity in children. This draconian measure is called REACH: Essentially every chemical in use in Europe will need to be registered and evaluated for every potential problem in the environment.

Many chemicals will be withdrawn from the market not because they are dangerous. They will be withdrawn because the costs of testing them will outweigh the costs of withdrawl. The additional costs for remaining chemicals will be passed to European consumers.

[darkangelism]

That is interesting, unfortunatly, it may not be the proper way to do things, sometimes a chemicals benefit outweighs its risk.

Business is a better major the chemical engineering...more opportunities. I am a business major, and my father is a chemist, so that part of the topic is something i am knowledgable about.

[Merika]

Considering that most of the stuff we spray around our house to make it smell nice....is probably a chemical which has negative effects on your breathing....I can only imagine what the bad smelling stuff around us is doing. Then again, we are all going to die eventually from something.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Merika

Considering that most of the stuff we spray around our house to make it smell nice....is probably a chemical which has negative effects on your breathing....I can only imagine what the bad smelling stuff around us is doing. Then again, we are all going to die eventually from something.

I am not saying that we should all be willing to live shorter lives for the sake of room deoderizer.

I am saying that sweeping policy requirements based on the shift of political wind happens in Europe with a frequency that does more harm than good. EU policies seem very short sighted especially when they are applied to long term economic results. This is why the EU has many economic problems that you would not expect the member countries to have after joining in an economic block. The REACH chemical thing is just one good example of this.

[Merika]

I wish I could give you some great response...but the truth is...I'm not at all informed on the subject. As far as my opinions of the EU being shortsighted...... :wink:

[Vautrin]

But has the US not similar problems with the FDA, and various other government agencies?

[darkangelism]

The FDA is more limited in what it does, and is usually stricter then the EU with what it allows in the first place, so what is out there is less dangerous, on the other hand there are good drugs being kept off the market because of this.

[Merika]

HAHA....the FDA does important stuff....like banning gay sperm donors! I have no idea why I found that so amusing.

[Rock]

Originally Posted by Merika

HAHA....the FDA does important stuff....like banning gay sperm donors! I have no idea why I found that so amusing.

Pardon me for saying so but this is very strange.

[darkangelism]

yeah i heard about that, i think that it is stupid for them to do. I think they are trying to stop gay people from reproducing so that there wont be any more gay people.

[dogula]

So the FDA supports the idea that homosexuality is not a choice but a part of the genetic code? Seems odd to me.

[darkangelism]

They claim that it is because homosexuality has a higher risk for AIDS, and thats why, but its just an excuse I think. I could run around and have sex with prositutes unprotected and donate sperm, but somebody has had gay sex with a condom and one partner cant.

I dont like the law, just leave the gay people alone, its not like they hurt society.

[dogula]

Yeah, I just saw an article about that. Seems pretty lazy to me, they could just ask the person if they've had an HIV test or give them one.