The story of the Sambhavna Clinic, a non-profit holistic health clinic in Bhopal, India, built to treat those injured by the Union Carbide toxic gas release in 1984. enlarge video
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Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals under REACH: Four Priority Areas for Regulation
Brussels — Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been linked with several health problems including the deterioration of male reproductive health, the increased incidence of hormone related cancers and the increase in cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes.
Despite this growing weight of evidence, the EU has been very slow in regulating EDCs. We therefore call upon the European Commission, Member States and relevant European institutions to:
ACT NOW: Expedite the use of REACH to reduce exposure to EDCs
Chemicals with ED properties should be subject to restrictions or authorisation and phased out without delay. Priority should be assigned based on their hazardous properties and the likelihood of coming into contact with the public, particularly with vulnerable populations such as infants, children, women of childbearing age and pregnant women, or the environment. SIN List 2.0 is a good starting point for identifying priority chemicals for stricter control under REACH, as it shows that the Commission and Member States can act now despite the fact that an EU wide approach for identifying EDCs is not in place yet.
PLAY IT SAFE: Replace EDCs with safer alternatives whenever they exist
The Commission shall review by June 2013 the conditions for granting authorisations to chemicals with ED properties under REACH. Given the possibility of mixture effects, the goal should be the elimination of exposure to chemicals with ED properties. This review should ensure that:
- ED properties are recognised under a distinct and additional criterion in Article 57 for naming a chemical as a SVHC and separated from the Equivalent Concern criterion (57f).
- An authorisation can only be granted for a limited period if no safer alternatives are available and the use is absolutely essential to society.
- CMR chemicals with ED properties be proposed on the basis of both 57c and f.
PROVIDE TRANSPARENCY for citizens: Disclose information on EDCs
Sufficient information to allow chemical users and consumers to make informed choices must be publicly available on ECHA's website. Member States should make information available about EDCs present in consumer and industrial goods and how citizens and workers can protect themselves from them.
GET THE CRITERIA RIGHT: Develop comprehensive criteria for identifying chemicals with ED properties to be used across all relevant EU legislation
- Public interest stakeholders must be involved in the development of the criteria currently being elaborated in the EU, which will have implications for several policies.
- The absence of precise scientific knowledge of how a substance with endocrine properties exerts its effects (mechanisms of action) should not hinder or retard the regulation of such a chemical.
- Independent peer reviewed studies (including non-GLP ones) should be considered when assessing whether a chemical has ED properties and its likely effects to humans and the environment.
- Apply the precautionary principle in the identification of ED chemicals.
Download Environment and Health NGOs’, Consumer Organisations and Trade Union's Paper: Requirements for the Regulation of Chemicals with Endocrine Disrupting Properties
Missed the launch of SIN List 2.0? Watch all presentations and the debate online!
Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of more than 500 organizations in 53 countries, working to transform the health care sector worldwide, without compromising patient safety or care, so that it is ecologically sustainable and no longer a source of harm to public health and the environment. Visit the HCWH website for more information.
