EU 'Breached Law' Over Delay on Identifying Hormone Disrupting Chemicals

The European Commission has breached EU law by failing to arrange for identifying harmful chemicals in everyday products, the EU's general court ruled Wednesday.

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (ECDs) are found in thousands of products - including disinfectants, pesticides and toiletries - which have been linked to cancers, birth defects and development disorders in children. The European Union (EU) had //ordered to set up a criteria for identifying EDCs by a December 2013 deadline. However, the European Commission has breached EU law by failing to arrange for identifying the harmful chemicals.

The Luxembourg-based EU's general court sided with Sweden, which had sued the commission, the EU's executive arm, for having failed to set criteria to identify EDCs.

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Challenging risk assessment methods used for decades by toxicologists, a new review of the literature suggests that oral gavage, the most widely accepted method of dosing lab animals to test chemical toxicity, does not accurately mimic how humans are exposed to chemicals in everyday life.

‘The European Commission has breached EU law by failing to adopt measures concerning the specification of scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties of everyday products.’

The court ruled, "By failing to adopt measures concerning the specification of scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine-disrupting properties, the Commission has breached EU law."

The EU's second highest court said, "The commission had a clear, precise and unconditional obligation to adopt the criteria by December 13, 2013 but failed to do so."

An appeal may be brought before the Court of Justice, the highest court, against the ruling within two months.

Protocols for Identifying Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Need to Refined
A streamlined definition for endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been proposed by The Endocrine Society in a Statement of Principles.

The Swedish government immediately hailed the general court's ruling, saying, "The important task of identifying and phasing out endocrine disrupting substances need to get started."

Sweden as well as European health and environment groups have argued that the Commission has bowed to pressure from the chemical industry, which is insisting on a consultation and more analysis before setting criteria, despite calls from scientists and the European Parliament for urgent action.

Effects of BPA Exposure Could Last for Generations
Exposure to low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation had immediate and long-lasting, trans-generational effects on the brain and social behaviors in mice.

In May 2013, leading public health scientists from around the world presented a declaration to the Commission, demanding strict testing of the chemicals and rejecting the EU policy that low level exposure to the chemicals is safe.

A study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism has linked EDCs to IQ loss, autism, attention hyperactivity disorder, obesity, testicular cancer and male infertility.

BPA Exposure During Pregnancy Causes Oxidative Stress in Both the Mother and Offspring
Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy can cause oxidative stress in both the mother and offspring, that increase the risk of developing diabetes or heart disease later in life.

Hundreds of EDCs are present in food products, textiles, hygiene products, toys, cosmetics and plastic bottles.

EDCs include diethylstilbestrol (DES), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, perfluoroalkylcompounds, solvents, phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), organophosphate and organochlorine pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE).

Some of these substances are already banned in EU countries, such as those in Scandinavia, but are used in others.

Source-AFP