| Commission documents
Com (2001) 262
'On the implementation
of the Community Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters - a range
of substances suspected of interfering with the hormone systems
of humans and wildlife'. (Download
245 Ko)
This document, published in June 2001, was the first progress report
following the adoption of a Community Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters
(EDs) in December 1999 (COM(1999) 706).
Progress on short-term actions
- Establishment of a priority list of substances for further
evaluation of their role in endocrine disruption. A study
report has been produced entitled 'Towards the establishment of
a priority list of substances for further evaluation of their
role in endocrine disruption - preparation of a candidate list
as a basis for priority-setting. This report identified a candidate
list of 553 substances. In this priority-setting exercise, the
Commission Scientific Committees and stakeholders, including EU
Member and Associated States, industry associations and non-governmental
organisations were consulted on the scientific relevance of the
study and different priorities were identified to implement this
action, which includes: Priority in short-term will be given to
conducting and in depth study of 12 candidate substances,
which includes up-to-date ED evidence, including dose-response/potency/timing/synergy
considerations, comparison with non-endocrine disruption toxic
effects and quantitative exposure assessment where appropriate.
Nine (9) of the chemicals are industrial or other substances for
which there is scientific evidence of endocrine disruption or
potential endocrine disruptions and which are neither restricted
nor currently being addressed under existing Community legislation.
In addition, three (3) synthetic/natural hormones, oestrone, ethinyl
oestradiol and oestradiol, will be evaluated in order to gather
up-to-date evidence of environmental exposure and effects related
to these substances.
Priority will also be given to gathering data/information
on persistence, production volumes and legal status of 435
candidate substances for which there were insufficient data
for the BKH Report to decide on ED or potential ED.
- Information exchange and international co-operation.
- Other short-term actions. A European workshop on EDs
was held in Sweden June 2001 focusing on monitoring, research
and development, test methods, testing strategy and international
co-operation. There was also a move towards banning the use in
stock farming of certain substances having hormonal activity.
Progress on medium-term action
- Research and development. Within the Community 4th Framework
Programmes for R&D (1994-1998), and the 5th Framework Programme
(1999-2002), research was funded with a budget of €20 M.
- Identification and assessment of EDs
Progress on long-term action
- Legislative action. The issue of ED has been addressed,
either directly or indirectly in different legislative proposals
in the field of water policy, in the recent White Paper on a strategy
for a future chemicals policy and in the proposed revision of
the General Product Safety Directive.
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