hazardous chemicals can be substituted
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Christian Ege, director, Det Økologiske Råd/The Ecological Council
The Danish Ecological Council
Hazardous chemicals
can be substituted
AaU, 24th of September 2012
Contents of presentation
• Velux-project – DEC, RUC, DTU
• The chemical problem
• What is substitution?
• Why substitute? Why not?
• Substitution and REACH
• Substitution tools
• Examples of substitution
• nkt cables, KYMI RENS
• Green Procurement Policy
• Hospitals
• New publication
• Summing up
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
The VELUX Project ”Better regulation of chemicals”
Det Økologiske Råd
• Three year project funded by the Velux Foundation
• In collaboration with Roskilde University and
Technical University of Denmark (scientific work on
mixture effects and nano)
• Overall aim: To strengthen the NGO participation in
further improvement of chemicals legislation in the
EU
• Main issues: EDCs, mixture effects and nano
materials
Lone Mikkelsen, Chemicals – March 21, 2012
Publications
Det Økologiske Råd
• Three call-for-action papers (English)
EDCs √
Mixture effects
Nanomaterials √
• Proposals for improving regulation of the three
topics either within existing legislation or by
suggesting new legislation (e.g. nano stand alone)
• Distribution to politicians + NGO colleagues
• Book for upper secondary school (gymn.)
Lone Mikkelsen, Chemicals – March 21, 2012
Medical Devices
Det Økologiske Råd Lone Mikkelsen, Chemicals – March 21, 2012
• Work for substitution of EDCs from medical devices
• Proposal for a recast of the Medical Devices
Directives 93/42/EEC, 90/385/EEC and 98/79/EC in
collaboration with HCWH
• Letter to and audience with the Danish (Parlament)
Health Committee
• Letter to Danish minister of health
• Meeting with Danish MEPs - Christel Schaldemose,
Dan Jørgensen
Chemical problem
• Estimated 100.000 chemicals on the EU market
• 30.000 fall within the scope of REACH
• Disturbed sexual development of animals – snails,
fish, crocodiles, polar bears
• A rise in health issues associated with exposure to
a variety of chemicals, e.g.
• Decrease in fertility (semen quality, PCOS* etc.)
• Behavioural problems
• Various cancers
• Obesity • *Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome – hormonal disorder resulting in ovarian cysts, decreased ovulations and a resulting
decrease in fertility
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Testicular cancer
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Testicular cancer in Denmark - distributed in
10 years age-groups born 1890-1960
Release of chemicals at home
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
What have alligators, birds, and fish in
common with Danish men?
• All are exposed to the same endocrine disrupters
in the environment
•Symptoms are claer in alligators, fish, and snails
• 553 suspected EDCs have been analysed. 118 are
regarded as EDCs, tge others suspected. Only few
are regulated today
History of Chemicals - Political action helps!
growing risk
0
0,5
1
1,5
2
2,5
3
3,5
4
4,5
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 20001970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Brominated flame retardants
in human breast milk
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
PCB in swedish white-tailed eagles
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Risk reduction
Testikular cancer
Hypospadi Semen quality
Breast cancer
Are these induced by chemicals ?
REACH-revision in 2012-13?
-Commission and council only wan a review
- NGO-demands: act on the basis of hazards
- Risk analyses takes years
-Include cocktail effects (addition/synergy)
-EDCs treated like CMRs
-More use of group evaluation or QSAR
-Better regulation of nano-materials – small amounts ><
tons limits in REACH
What is‘Substitution’?
• The replacement of hazardous chemicals used in
processes or products with less hazardous
chemicals
• The alternatives can be both other chemicals,
procedural changes or alternative technologies
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
- Why substitute?
(from company’s point of view)
• Demand from customers
• New knowledge about production
methods or new chemicals on the
market
• New legislation
• Staying ahead of the law can give a
competitive advantage
• To retain or create a green image
can attract more groups of
consumers
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Why not substitute?
• Time consuming
• Initially an expense for the company
Substitution and REACH
The EU chemicals legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation
and Authorisation of CHemicals)
How REACH promotes substitution:
•Mandatory substitution-planning requirements when applying for
authorisation to use a substance of very high concern (SVHC) on
the authorisation list
• Including an analysis of alternatives, and in case of the
avaliability of suitable alternatives, a substitution plan
must be presented
•Public access to Candidate- and Authorisation lists
•’Right to know’ principle
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Substitution tools
Substitution portals and –network
•SUBSPORT (subsport.eu) – four
partners (Grontmij, Chemsec etc),
supported by EU/Life, Germany, Austria
•Business groups, e.g. ChemSec
Business Group (start 2004)
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Warning lists - to avoid replacing one
hazardous chemical with another:
• the REACH candidate list (84 subs.)
• the Danish EPA list of undesirable
substances (app. 90 subs. and groups)
• the SIN list (by Swedish NGO ChemSec)
(378 subs.)
Substitution tools
Green taxes
contribute to levelling out the economic differences
between traditional and substituted products, e.g.
• Soft PVC and phthalate tax
• Tax on industrial green house gasses
• Proposal: tax on brominated flame retardants
and wood preservatives
The oppertunity to obtain an Eco-label
gives the consumer easy access to more safe
products, e.g.
• the EU flower
• the Nordic Swan
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Substitution tools
Substitution through Green Procurement
Policies
-EU: minimum 50% green procurement within 10
product groups. Cleaning products&services, furniture,
IT equipment etc.
-Cologne in Germany; rules for the procurement of toys,
furniture and sports equipment for municipal facilities.
-Denmark; ’Partnership for public green procurement’ –
collaboration between the Ministry of Environment and
six local authorities
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Substitution examples
nkt cables
-Substituted phthalates and lead from cables
-NOPOVIC® is based on polyethylene,
polypropylene and ethylene vinyl acetate
-Before tax: too expensive
-After: more than 50% of DK market.
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Examples
KYMI RENS - Aalborg
- Substituted perchloroethylene (a ground
water pollutant) - as cleaning agent
- Uses CO2, AquaClean (environmentally
and textile friendly method - chemicals
are replaced by water), GreenEarth
(applying liquid silicone) and SYSTEM
K4 (halogen free solvent, biodegradable)
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Substitution examples
Substitution of PVC and phthalates in hospitals
•Westfriesgasthuis (N) – childrens section – almost phthalate and PVC
free
•Sygehus Sønderjylland (DK) – neonate section – substituted
intravenous (IV) catheters, administration sets and tubes, feeding
tubes, gloves, pacifiers, and bandages.
•Karolinske Universitetshospital (SE) – substituted gloves,
haemodialysis equipment, IV bags and tubes, urine bags, feeding
tubes, and catheters.
•EU project to create a PVC and phthalate free bloodbag:
www.pvcfreebloodbag.eu
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
New publication
In May 2012 The Danish Ecological
Council published a new booklet about
substitution. This publication is a follow-
up to an earlier publication from 2006
‘Hazardous chemicals can be
substituted – developments since 2006’
Contents:
•The concept of substitution
•EU chemicals legislation REACH
•Danish and international examples of
substitution
•The properties, effects and relevant
regulation of the replased chemicals
•Warning- and prioritisation lists
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Summary
We need better combination of
legislation, economic instruments and
private substitution initiatives
More and more companies choose to
replace potentially hazardous
chemicals from products or
production processes –
but there is still a need for further
stimulation of substitution!
The progressiv companies are not
much heard when new chemicals
legislation is negotiated
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
Thank you for your attention!
See more on www.ecocouncil.dk
Consider becoming a member!
The Danish Ecological Council Christian Ege – 24.september 2012
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