Brussels, 25/11/2015 (Agence Europe) - It is out of the question for the European Parliament that the European Commission should approve, as it has proposed, the recycling of plastics that contain DEHP, a phthalate that softens plastic but which is recognised as posing a reproductive toxicity threat.
That was the clear message sent to the Commission by MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday 25 November with their overwhelming plenary session vote (603 to 86, with 5 abstentions) in adopting its non-legislative resolution (see EUROPE 11430).
Bas Eickhout (Greens/EFA, Netherlands) was delighted that “common sense has prevailed” in this resolution relating to a draft decision on which the Council still has to vote.
The resolution notes that, under the terms of the REACH regulation (1907/2006/EC), DEHP is classed as a substance that gives cause for serious concern and that, in light of its toxicity to reproduction, the Commission would be exceeding its powers in approving its presence in plastics to be recycled for use in the manufacture, inter alia, of shoes and floor coverings.
MEPs stress that DEHP is known to adversely affect the endocrine system in mammals, for example, by reducing foetal testosterone, and can also irreversibly affect the rate at which mammals develop, as well as their reproductive capacity.
In the EU, the use of this phthalate is already banned in the manufacture of toys, articles intended for children and cosmetics. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)