swedish chemical safety - successes and challenges
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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] - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Swedish chemical safety- successes and challenges
Gunnar Bengtsson, Senior Adviser, [email protected] National Chemicals Inspectorate, www.kemi.se
Source material for lectures
Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, Chemicals Policy InitiativeEuropean Chemicals Policy Experts Tour, October 20-28 2003Washington D C, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston
Swedish data on risks
• Almost 1 child in 1000 annually in hospital for 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• 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
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 commissions1985, 1997, 2001
Principles
• 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
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 2003Future retail business
• Observation list: 250 problematic substances to be replaced if possiblehttp://www.kemi.se/publikationer/obs_eng/defaulte.htm
PrecautionIn 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• 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…
SubstitutionSwedish environmental code http://miljo.regeringen.se/pressinfo/pdf/ds2000_61.pdf
…. the best possible technology shall be used in connection with professional activities.
SubstitutionArduous 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 greenhousesSometimes 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
Environmental objectives• 15 objectives in all, 1999• A non-toxic environment: targets, indicators
1. Accessibility of hazard data by 20102. Hazard information for articles by 20103. No specially hazardous substances (PBTCMRH) by 2005-2015
4. Measurable general risk reduction by 20105. 100 Environmental quality standards by 20106. 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 statisticshttp://www.kemi.se/default_eng.cfm?page=Prodreg/default_eng.htm
• 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 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
• 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• tin organics• solvents• brominated flame retardants
Going down to one-half or less• HFC+HCFC+CFC• chlorinated paraffines• pesticides
Global organisationIFCS: 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 organisations
IPCS: UNEP+WHO+ILO http://www.who.int/pcs/Practical implementation
Conventions~100 international environmental conventions ~ half of these regional e.g. UNECE LRTAPGlobal chemicals conventions, e.g.: • Basel 1989, in force, transboundary waste• Rotterdam 1998, not in force, export information• Stockholm 2001, not in force, restrict POPsOther 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 metalsGoing up: * production in general, CuLevelling out * production of Pb, Cr, Sn, Cd *
classical POPs in environmentGoing down: * production of CFCs, Hg, Asbestos
* use of a few POPs * production emissions