On 15 April, the European Parliament’s Committee on Employment and Social Affairs will be asked to approve the report by Belgian MEP Liesbet Sommen (EPP) on the sixth revision of the Directive on carcinogens, mutagens, and reprotoxic substances (CMRD) (see EUROPE 13787/21).
On Wednesday 8 April, the political groups reached agreement on compromise amendments. Among other things, the draft text demands, as does the Council of the EU, the inclusion of isoprene among the regulated substances; the negotiations at Parliament also succeeded in maintaining the level of the limit value for cobalt. The rapporteurs also agree on the need to speed up the process of assessing hazardous substances in the workplace.
To achieve this, “we need to invest in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), its capacities and expertise, and not simply delegate more decisions to the European Commission, as it had proposed”, insisted The Left’s shadow rapporteur, Per Clausen (Danish), to Agence Europe, believing that Parliament had reached a good compromise, despite “pressure from the far right” to lower ambition.
“For cobalt and its inorganic compounds, it is foreseeable that it will be difficult to comply with a limit value of 0.01 mg/m³ for the inhalable fraction and 0.0025 mg/m³ for the respirable fraction in the short term. It is therefore appropriate to introduce a transitional period of six years after entry into force of this Directive, during which the limit values of 0.02 mg/m³ (inhalable fraction) and 0.0042 mg/m³ (respirable fraction) should apply”, says the amendment. In sectors where it is difficult to comply with occupational exposure limit values, “it is necessary that respiratory protective equipment is available and used by workers when the lower limit values cannot be complied with otherwise, to ensure that workers are appropriately protected”.
In the case of isoprene, “short-term or single exposure (...) may cause irritation to the nose, throat, and lungs, and can lead to symptoms such as headache or dizziness. Chronic and high exposure may lead to liver cancer but also anaemia, degeneration of olfactory epithelium and degeneration of spinal cord white matter”, adds the document.
Although worker exposure remains low for the time being, a binding occupational exposure limit for isoprene is necessary to prevent possible future risks and to ensure a level playing field between Member States, explains Parliament.
“It is therefore appropriate, on the basis of the available information, to establish a long-term occupational exposure limit value of 8.5 mg/m³ (3 ppm)”.
With regard to strategic autonomy and the pursuit of industrial transition, Parliament also states that while promoting the circular economy and maintaining and strengthening international strategic autonomy with regard to raw materials are priorities for the Union, it is also essential to guarantee all workers a high and comparable level of protection against health risks linked to occupational exposure.
The EU Council approved its mandate on 1 December (see EUROPE 13763/4).
Link to the compromise amendments: https://aeur.eu/f/lh4 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)