A/HRC/39/48 enterprises for their responsibility to prevent workers’ exposure to toxics. It goes beyond disrespect, seeking to perpetuate the exploitation of inequalities within and between societies. G. Opaque supply chains and transfer of hazardous work 59. While recognizing the societal benefits that can accompany the international transfer of beneficial technologies, the transfer of toxic work from countries with more advanced systems to countries with lower standards of worker protection continues to be a major problem. For example, chemical-intensive manufacturing and processing activities once largely located in the highly industrialized countries are now steadily expanding into developing countries and countries with economies in transition through the globalization of supply chains.57 60. The international transfer of dangerous and dirty work, whether extraction of natural resources, use of toxic chemicals and pesticides or disposal of hazardous wastes without appropriate measures to protect workers against exposures to toxic substances, has left workers and their communities at considerable risk of grave impacts on their human rights.58 The lack of transparency throughout supply chains adds fuel to the problem and obstructs efforts by various stakeholders to improve occupational health. H. Disconnected efforts on occupational and environmental health 61. A toxic workplace generally leads to a toxic environment. For example, air pollutants affect the health of workers directly exposed but also the health of their children and broader communities. Workers engaged in highly toxic livelihoods such as artisanal mining, waste disposal and a range of manufacturing (such as textiles) and agricultural activities often work very close to their homes and communities, sometimes accompanied or helped by their children. However, potential synergies that could result from stronger linkages between labour and environmental health are frequently unrealized. I. Failures to realize the right to information 62. Information gaps create a fundamental impediment to respecting, protecting and fulfilling several human rights that are otherwise abused or violated by the exposure of workers to toxic chemicals (see A/HRC/30/40, paras. 22 and 24–25).59 63. At the most fundamental level, comprehensive information regarding the intrinsic health hazards of the vast majority of industrial chemicals continues to be absent, including their ability to cause cancer, to be mutagenic or to be toxic for reproduction (A/HRC/30/40). Further, the form and content of information communicated to workers regarding health risks remain a considerable challenge. The absence of or inappropriately communicated information is tantamount to deception and deception of workers is a category of exploitation, which can constitute forced or compulsory labour. 60 64. Although risk assessments have helped to identify and restrict the use of substances that pose risks to workers, there are limitations, including the difficulty of predicting workers’ exposure levels; the fact that the health hazards are known for a minority of substances and the lack of information about the hazards of tens of thousands of substances; and that little is known about the impacts of exposures to combined hazardous substances, 57 58 59 60 United Nations Environment Programme, Global Chemicals Outlook: Towards Sound Management of Chemicals (2013). Ibid. See also Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 34 (2011) on the freedoms of opinion and expression, para. 18. See, for example, the Modern Slavery Act 2015 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 13