Brussels, 14/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - In Strasbourg on Wednesday, the European Parliament called for a European regulation to protect public health against endocrine disruptors, the chemical substances that cause hormonal disorders. Based on the own initiative report by Asa Westlund (S&D, Sweden), the resolution adopted by the plenary session (489 votes to 102, with 19 abstentions) warns against the adverse health effects that endocrine disruptors can have - decline in male fertility, early puberty, congenital malformation, breast cancer, etc. - and calls for those substances to be covered by the REACH regulation (registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemical substances).
Westlund explains that many substances are suspected of having endocrine disruptor properties. EU legislation regulating chemical substances is insufficient to determine whether a substance has those properties or not and does not contain enough requirements with regard to data. That is why, she continues, it is essential to have appropriate methods of evaluation and information. Endocrine disruptors should be considered as extremely worrying substances within the framework of the REACH regulation, which means, Westlund pointed out, that they should be either banned or restricted or replaced by safer alternatives.
The scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is due this month and an EU strategy on endocrine disruptors has been announced for this year. However, the Parliament believes it is time to act and the most urgent thing is to rapidly adopt measures to strengthen the protection of the most sensitive population groups (children, young people, pregnant women).
Catherine Traumann (S&D, France) added (our translation): “On many occasions, the Commission has told us that this future strategy will be based on the opinion of the EFSA. This work could, in time, lead to a ban on many substances used in industry other than for food products strictly speaking. To achieve this, EFSA should demonstrate that it is able to work independently and transparently on this issue that is crucial for the health of our citizens”.
Potential endocrine disruptors include: Bisphenol A (BPA) used in plastics; parabens found in body lotions and shampoos, phtalates used in PVC products, paints, inks and food packaging, as well as the UV filters used in cosmetics and sun creams. (AN/transl.jl)