Bid to clarify rules for assessing health risks

Date: 28/01/1999

By Renée Cordes

Consumer Commissioner Emma Bonino will next week call for the creation of a special group to establish clear procedures for addressing public concerns about potential health risks from particular products.

Under Bonino's plan, the new group would be tasked with drawing up a list of guidelines to govern the work of officials responsible for deciding whether new restrictions or outright bans should be imposed on products in cases where concerns have been raised.

The move is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the controversy which has dogged previous attempts by the Commission to take action over specific products, such as the storm which erupted over Bonino's calls for a ban on toys made of soft PVC.

"We want to see whether it is possible to establish a common procedure in order not to be confronted every time a difficult issue arises," said one official. "Scientific studies do not always give clear answers for risk management."

It is also designed to ensure that the procedure for assessing potentially hazardous products is more transparent, particularly in cases where conclusive scientific evidence has been difficult to obtain, and improve communications between Commission departments involved in drafting proposals for new legislation.

Earlier this year, the institution said that more research was needed on the potential risks posed by soft PVC used to make teething rings and other toys sucked by young children, after deciding that a Dutch study into the substance was inconclusive.

Some studies have suggested that phthalates, the softening agents used to make PVC, can cause cancer and infertility when ingested in sufficiently large quantities.

Officials say the Commission will not take any decision on the PVC issue until after the new group has completed its work.

The toy industry has repeatedly argued that there is no scientific basis for a ban. Maurits Bruggink, secretary-general of Toy Industries of Europe, welcomed the move to bring greater transparency to the process of analysing scientific research, but questioned whether adding another administrative layer would achieve this.

"The Commission should have more scientists in scientific committees than at the moment," he said.

Bonino will seek the support of fellow Commissioners for her initiative at a meeting next Wednesday (3 February), even though key details such as who would be appointed to serve on the new group have yet to be settled. It is, however, expected to include representatives of the Directorates-General for consumer policy (DGXXIV), the environment (DGXI) and external economic relations (DGI).

Under Bonino's plan, the committee would be disbanded after making its recommendations for a standard procedure for dealing with potential problems and would not be involved in the analysis of the scientific evidence in individual cases.