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Swedish chemical safety - successes and challenges

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, gunnar.bengtsson@kemi.se

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Swedish chemical safety - successes and challenges

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  1. 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, gunnar.bengtsson@kemi.se Swedish National Chemicals Inspectorate, www.kemi.se Source material for lectures

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Principles • Producer responsibility (also downstream) • Precaution • Substitution • Environmental objectives → broad actions by many stakeholders → follow-up

  6. 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

  7. 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 2003 Future retail business • Observation list: 250 problematic substances to be replaced if possible http://www.kemi.se/publikationer/obs_eng/defaulte.htm

  8. 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.

  9. 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…

  10. 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.

  11. 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….

  12. Substitution • Decreased, half-time ~ 5 years - Lead in plastics, paint - Nonylphenol etoxilates - Chlorinated paraffins - Plant protection pesticides

  13. Substitution phthalates Other shortchained Other longchained

  14. Substitution Chloro-Flouro-Carbons

  15. Environmental objectives • 15 objectives in all, 1999 • A non-toxic environment: targets, indicators 1. Accessibility of hazard data by 2010 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.

  16. 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 • 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

  17. 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

  18. Thank you!

  19. Remaining slides are spares!

  20. 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?

  21. 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

  22. 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 organisations IPCS: UNEP+WHO+ILO http://www.who.int/pcs/ Practical implementation

  23. 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

  24. Global actions: results last decadeconventions 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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