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MEPs miss chance to protect consumers and workers from dangerous chemicals

03 April 2008
by eub2 -- last modified 03 April 2008

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) slammed the result of a First Reading vote yesterday in the Environment Committee on a Proposal for a Regulation on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP Regulation).


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MEPs failed to set a high international standard for implementation of the United Nations Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and backtracked on existing EU legislation. In the spirit of swift action, the Committee reached a quick deal on the dossier, towing the Commission line on most points and even worsening it in the case of setting a market volume threshold for chemicals labelling.

Catherine Ganzleben, EEB's Chemicals Policy Officer, expressed frustration with the outcome. "In voting to impose a threshold for the volume of products on the market as criteria for the labelling of chemicals, MEPs have failed to understand the critical role played by classification and labelling in enabling workers and consumers to protect themselves from harmful chemicals. MEPs are allowing substances that cause cancer and harm the reproductive system to be handled without any warning to those who may be exposed."

MEPs are also accused of inconsistency. "Despite prioritising substances that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBTs) under REACH, MEPs did not reflect this in their position on the CLP Regulation, the complementary cornerstone of EU chemicals policy," said Nardono Nimpuno, International Chemicals Secretariat.1 "Instead, the Committee rejected amendments aimed at ensuring that the labelling of products containing PBTs is appropriate to the level of danger."

The outcome of the vote means the legislation would essentially fail to deliver protection to the most vulnerable groups, such as children, which could be accomplished by ensuring that all substances that cause harm if swallowed are clearly labelled.

"In the upcoming plenary vote, we urge MEPs to act to ensure that this Regulation delivers on its objective to protect people from chemical exposure rather than bowing to industry demands," Ms. Ganzleben asserted.

The EEB is a federation of over 145 environmental citizens' organisations based in EU Member States and most accession countries. The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) is a non-profit organisation dedicated to working towards a toxic-free environment.

European Environmental Bureau - EEB