Swedish chemical safety- successes and challenges

Gunnar Bengtsson, Senior Adviser, gunnar.bengtsson@kemi.seSwedish 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