The European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs approved, on Thursday 7 September, by 37 votes to 4 with 3 abstentions, the draft report by Danish MEP Nikolaj Villumsen (The Left) aimed at protecting workers’ health by reducing occupational exposure to lead and diisocyanates.
The Dane described the vote as a great “victory for millions of European workers”, even though the exposure limits for lead date back to 1982 and there are no limits for diisocyanates.
Lead and diisocyanates are likely to be used in the renovation of buildings and in the production of batteries, wind turbines and lighters for electric vehicles, the European Parliament points out in a press release.
Diisocyanates are a group of chemicals used to produce polyurethane, a material used to insulate buildings and appliances. Exposure to diisocyanates is one of the most common causes of occupational respiratory diseases such as asthma.
There was no limit value at EU level until the Commission proposed a directive in February (see EUROPE 13120/10).
MEPs therefore chose to adopt the Commission’s proposal for an overall occupational exposure limit of 6 µg NCO/m³ (the maximum concentration of a substance in the air that a worker breathes over a given reference period of 8 hours) and a short-term exposure limit of 12 µg NCO/m³ (a shorter reference period of 15 minutes).
On exposure to lead, which can affect the sexual function and fertility of men and women, MEPs approved an occupational limit value for all workers of 0.03 mg/m3 and a binding biological limit value for all workers of 15 µg Pb/100 ml blood.
The recommended biological value will be 4.5 µg Pb/100 ml blood for women of childbearing age, with MEPs adopting a revision clause of this value every five years to provide better protection for women.
MEPs are also asking the Commission to propose new rules on limit values for substances such as lithium, cobalt and benzene.
The Council of the EU adopted its mandate on 12 June (see EUROPE 13199/2). It maintained the exposure limits for lead set out in the Commission’s proposal (a revised biological limit value of 15 µg Pb/100 ml blood, accompanied by a revised occupational exposure limit value of 0.03 mg/m³), while introducing a transition period until 31 December 2028.
The trilogue meetings can begin once the European Parliament has confirmed this committee vote at next week’s plenary session. The Danish rapporteur wants to then start these negotiations as soon as possible.
Link to the adopted report: https://aeur.eu/f/8h1 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)