Commission documents

SEC (2007) 1635

Commission Staff Working Document on the implementation of the 'Community Strategy for Endocrine Disruptors - a range of substances suspected of interfering with the hormone systems of humans and wildlife'. (Download 277 Ko)

This document, published in November 2007 is the third progress report on the implementation of the Strategy and covers the period 2004–2006. The "Community Strategy for Endocrine Disruptors" contains activities in the short, medium and long term. The short and medium term actions focus on gathering scientific data on "candidate substances" with a view to prioritising testing, guide research and monitoring efforts and to identify specific cases of consumer use and ecosystem exposure. The long-term actions focus on review and possible adaptation of policy and Community legislation.

Progress on short-term actions

The key short-term action is the establishment of a priority list of substances for further evaluation of their endocrine disrupting effects. This prioritisation work started in the year 2000. In total 575 chemical substances were screened and evaluated as to their endocrine disrupting (ED) effects and  a preliminary priority list was established at the end of 2006. The list is now available as an Access-Database.

The list on the database was elaborated in a stepwise approach and is based on the outcomes of the four studies contracted by the Commission. It is not yet final and is not a negative list substances either. It is meant to provide a basis for gathering further data on endocrine disrupting effects of those substances and for their subsequent evaluation under the individual pieces of the Community legislation in order to address public concerns about this type of substances.

In terms of prioritisation, it was found that, out of 575 substances, 320 substances showed evidence or potential evidence for ED effects, while in total, 109 substances were not retained in the priority list, either due to insufficient data on ED effects or insufficient scientific evidence. 147 substances have been excluded from the evaluation during the process as they were identified as double entries, mixtures or of doubtful relevance.

An assessment of the legal status of the substances with evidence or potential evidence of endocrine disrupting effects showed, that the majority of them are already subject to a ban or restriction or are addressed under existing Community legislation, although for reasons not necessarily related to endocrine disruption.

Progress on medium-term action

The Commission and Member States continue to participate in the OECD - Endocrine Disruptor Testing and Assessment Task Force (EDTA), which was set up in 1998 with the goal of developing agreed test methods for endocrine disruptors. Furthermore, endocrine disruptors were addressed under the 6^th (FP6 - 2002-2006) EU Research Framework Programmes and will also be addressed under the 7^th Framework Programme of the European Community for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7 - 2007-2013).

Progress on long-term action

Relevant developments since 2004 were the adoption of the regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), formally adopted on 18 December 2006, the proposal for a directive setting environmental quality standards for priority substances under the water framework directive (2006) or the proposal for a regulation revising directive 91/414/EC on plant protection products (2006).