Hazardous chemicals can be substituted

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


Testicular cancer


Testicular cancer in Denmark - distributed in

10 years age-groups born 1890-1960

Release of chemicals at home


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


- 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


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


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)


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


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


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.


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)


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


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


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


Thank you for your attention!

See more on www.ecocouncil.dk

Consider becoming a member!


http://www.ecocouncil.dk/

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Hazardous chemicals can be substituted