On September 16, 2020, environmental law organization Client Earth announced the publication of a report presenting a 3-point action plan to improve current EU rules on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The organization writes in the report that “EU law currently lags far behind the science on EDCs, and the first step towards improving the situation is to catch up.” Apolline Roger, head of the chemicals program at Client Earth, further commented that current rules in the EU “are at best patchy and ultimately inadequate when it comes to dealing with these misunderstood substances.”
To address this, Client Earth recommends implementing a restriction under the REACH regulation to minimize “all sources of exposure to the substances already identified as EDCs by EU or national lists or regulations.” It further calls for adopting changes to “fix existing EU chemical screening systems” for chemicals, which “remain blind to endocrine disruptors’ hazardous properties.” The organization’s final recommendation is to amend existing EU laws “to create a consistent and effective framework to deal with EDCs” including “a coordinated list of EDCs that will be continuously and easily updated” in order to “increase the visibility of EDCs and trigger automatic regulatory consequences so that all sources of exposure are consistently addressed.” The report specifically reviews individual EU regulations, EDC lists and screening processes, and proposes a specific set of recommended policy and process changes to address current gaps in each.
Read More
Client Earth (September 16, 2020). “Hormone-disrupting chemicals are everywhere. Here’s what the EU should do to protect us.”
Kathryn Carlson (September 17, 2020). “NGO calls for group REACH restriction for EDCs.” Chemical Watch
Emma Davies (September 17, 2020). “Cefic calls for thorough EU debate on endocrine disruption in CLP.” Chemical Watch
Reference
Client Earth (September 16, 2020). “3 actions to protect people and wildlife from EDCs.”
