03rd May 2005

Friends of the Earth (Malta) calls on MEPs to put health and environment concerns at the heart of European chemicals reform – REACH

In line with 93% of Europeans FoE (Malta) believes that chemicals safety matters for health and the environment. Chemicals have brought enormous benefits to society but research also increasingly links many of them to cancers, allergies and fertility problems. The current legislation has failed to regulate thousands of chemicals, which are on the market without even the most basic safety data publicly available. This includes many chemicals with proven dangerous effects for people and wildlife.

After a five-year consultation process, in October 2003 the European Commission published its legislative proposal – REACH – for a new chemicals regulatory framework. (COM(2003)644). We believe that REACH has the right framework to help industry move towards responsible production and sustainable development, through reducing the negative impacts of chemicals, fostering innovation and increasing public confidence in the chemical sector.

However, the European Commission has severely weakened its legislative proposal in response to heavy pressure from the chemicals industry. Unless REACH is strengthened substantially in key areas, it will not realise its benefits for environment and health protection. In the forthcoming European Parliament debate and vote on REACH, FoE together with other European environmental, health and women’s NGOs call on MEPs to improve REACH in five priority areas, in order to: phase out the use of hazardous chemicals, only allowing their continued use if no safer alternatives are available and their use is essential to society; Strengthen registration procedures to close the existing gap in safety information for chemicals produced in 1-10 tonne per annum quantities; Ensure that industry information receives an independent quality audit; Require chemicals used in imported articles to undergo the same information requirements as those in EU-made articles, so as to protect consumers and avoid distortion of competition; Make sufficient information on chemicals publicly available so that downstream users, retailers and consumers can find out which chemicals are contained in the products they purchase and make their own risk judgements.

Current loopholes and deficiencies in the proposed REACH legislation would allow, for instance the continued use of Deca, a flame retardant chemical used in furniture and electronics, which we believe should be identified and phased out through the REACH authorisation process. Deca contaminates globally, as far away as the habitats and bodies of polar bears, right into the heart of urban society, including the bodies of MEPs. Yet it remains in routine use, even though some companies (e.g. IKEA) are using alternatives.

The continued use of polycarbonate baby bottles is also a matter of concern. These are made from Bisphenol A, which can leach out of the bottle into the milk. Bisphenol A is a known hormone disrupter, which has been shown to have effects at very low doses, and so could harm the growth and development of children. In spite of this, at least 140,000
tonnes of Bisphenol A are on sale every year in Europe, for a range of uses including in the lining food tins.

Similarly the continued use of chemicals in everyday consumer products, such as children’s toys, carpets and many other household goods, which accumulate in human bodies and are traceable in blood and breast milk. There is scientific evidence to suggest that some of these chemicals may have impacts on fertility, cancer and intellectual development.