Transcript PowerPoint-presentation

Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, Chemicals Policy Initiative
European Chemicals Policy Experts Tour, October 20-28 2003
Washington D C, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston
Swedish chemical safety
- successes and challenges
Gunnar Bengtsson, Senior Adviser, [email protected]
Swedish National Chemicals Inspectorate, www.kemi.se
Source material for lectures
Swedish data on risks
• Almost 1 child in 1000 annually in hospital for
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poisoning
Almost 1 worker in 1000 annually notifies
occupational disease due to chemicals (e.g. sick
buildings, dust, asbestos, solvents)
Reduced birth weight in children of Baltic
fishermen; organochlorines?
Permanent behavioural effects in mice; PCB,
PBDE, HBCDD
Poor reproduction mink, otter?, seal?; PCB
Egg shell thinning birds of prey; DDT
Swedish chemical safety
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Almost all legislation harmonised in EU, little
room for national interpretation → Sweden puts
large fraction of efforts to influencing EU
Government framework, authority details
Swedish National Chemicals Inspectorate, KEMI
Scope: preventive, detoxify ecocycles. Once
toxics are there, other authorities have more say
KEMI broad remit: General chemicals, all
pesticides, consumer chemicals/uses. Not drugs,
cosmetics, food additives. Staff 180 pax
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Promoting international cooperation
WSSD global target for 2020, SAICM
IFCS – Forum IV Bangkok Nov 2003
European Union new chemicals policy REACH
(for almost all chemicals legislation Sweden is
bound by EU rules)
Political chemicals commissions
1985, 1997, 2001
Principles
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Producer responsibility (also downstream)
Precaution
Substitution
Environmental objectives →
broad actions by many stakeholders →
follow-up
Producer responsibility
Swedish environmental code
http://miljo.regeringen.se/pressinfo/pdf/ds2000_61.pdf
Persons who pursue an activity … shall implement
protective measures ... to prevent …damage or
detriment to human health or the environment
Producer responsibility
• Swedish downstream users: need more information
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than REACH gives to live up to responsibility
Evaluation 2002 of article data sheets for building
materials and textiles: useful tool, small extent,
involve downstream users
Dialogues on negotiated agreements:
Build and live, http://www.byggabodialogen.se./ , signed 4 Sep 2003
Future retail business
• Observation list: 250 problematic substances to be
replaced if possible
http://www.kemi.se/publikationer/obs_eng/defaulte.htm
Precaution
In essence since 1635, in Environmental Act 1969.
Quote from 1999 Swedish environmental code:
http://miljo.regeringen.se/pressinfo/pdf/ds2000_61.pdf
…Such precautions shall be taken as soon as there is
cause to assume that an activity or measure may
cause damage or detriment to human health or the
environment.
Precaution
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PCB ban 1972 (US 1976)
Asbestos restrictions 1982
Lead reductions paint, gasoline 1990’s
Restrictions in environmental protection
objectives to be based on persistence and
bioaccumulation
Strong evidence often takes decades to get,
e.g. arsenic, asbestos, PCB…
Substitution
Swedish environmental code
http://miljo.regeringen.se/pressinfo/pdf/ds2000_61.pdf
…. the best possible technology shall be used
in connection with professional activities.
Substitution
Arduous work in details for business, e.g.
• Petroleum based oils  Vegetabilic in chain saws
• High aromatic  low PAH oil in car tires
• Solvents  water in drycleaning
• Trichloroethylene  water in metal goods cleaning
• Lead  Cd/Zn as stabilisers in PVC cables
• Chemical  biological pesticides in greenhouses
Sometimes regulatory pressure/bans: PCB, TCE,
Cd, Hg, Pb, CrVI, organotins, pesticides….
Substitution
• Decreased, half-time ~ 5 years
- Lead in plastics, paint
- Nonylphenol etoxilates
- Chlorinated paraffins
- Plant protection pesticides
Substitution phthalates
Other shortchained
Other longchained
Substitution Chloro-Flouro-Carbons
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Environmental objectives
15 objectives in all, 1999
A non-toxic environment: targets, indicators
1. Accessibility of hazard data by 2010
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2. Hazard information for articles by 2010
3. No specially hazardous substances (PBTCMRH)
by 2005-2015
4. Measurable general risk reduction by 2010
5. 100 Environmental quality standards by 2010
6. Remediation of 100 contaminated sites by 2005
First follow-up 2003: Target 5 reachable, target 4
reachable with additional resources.
Swedish tools
• Targeted research
• Systematic environmental monitoring
• Product register, e.g. short statistics
http://www.kemi.se/default_eng.cfm?page=Prodreg/default_eng.htm
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Poisoning and occupational injury statistics
Enforcement by inspections
Outreach to municipalities and counties
Good dialogue with chemicals industry and
downstream users, e.g on substitution
Overall result – challenges remain!
• No clear trend up or down in overall use
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of hazardous chemicals: dominated by
petroleum products
More or less unchanged
- tin organics
- solvents
- brominated flame retardants
Spotwise reductions as presented
Thank you!
Remaining
slides are
spares!
EU actions: results
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General chemicals 1993-2002: 64 substances reviewed, 51
need risk reduction
Pesticides active ingredients by 2003/4:
Plant protection 850-450=400
Biocides
1600-1200=400?
Swedish volumes in preparations last decade
Generally increasing: Observation list substances
Unchanged
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tin organics
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solvents
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brominated flame retardants
Going down to one-half or less
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HFC+HCFC+CFC
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chlorinated paraffines
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pesticides
Global organisation
IFCS: http://www.who.int/ifcs/
From UNCED 1992; strategies
Priorities for Action 2000
http://www.who.int/ifcs/forum3/final.html
IOMC: http://www.who.int/iomc/en/
Coordinating 7 intergovernmental
IPCS: UNEP+WHO+ILO http://www.who.int/pcs/
Practical implementation
organisations
Conventions
~100 international environmental conventions
~ half of these regional e.g. UNECE LRTAP
Global chemicals conventions, e.g.:
• Basel 1989, in force, transboundary waste
• Rotterdam 1998, not in force, export information
• Stockholm 2001, not in force, restrict POPs
Other instruments, e.g.:
• FAO Code of conduct pesticides 2002
• ILO Chemicals Convention No 170, 1990, work
Global actions: results last decade
conventions etc
typically 10-30 substances
Lousy volume statistics except metals
Going up:
* production in general, Cu
Levelling out * production of Pb, Cr, Sn, Cd
classical POPs in environment
Going down: * production of CFCs, Hg, Asbestos
* use of a few POPs
* production emissions
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