Today, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) published a statement and a position paper on emerging health and environmental issues.

The SCHEER statement on emerging health and environmental issues draws the Commission Services’ attention to 14 emerging issues in the non-food area that Committee members have identified as having a potential impact on human health and/or the environment in the future. Among the risks identified is the increase of pharmaceuticals and illicit drug loads in wastewater as a result of rise in the use of drugs, aging population and fly tipping of waste from illegal drug manufacturing sites. The presence of antibiotics in surface water may represent a change in the functioning of ecosystems and a risk to human health.

The position paper on emerging issues and the role of the SCHEER describes the methodology how SCHEER draws the attention of the European Commission services to emerging issues in the non-food area.

Background:

According to the Commission Decision C(2015) 5383, the Scientific Committees shall draw the Commission's attention to specific or emerging problems which may pose a potential risk to consumer's safety, public health or the environment. The Scientific Committees review and evaluate relevant scientific data and assess potential risks. The SCHEER Committee provides opinions on questions concerning health, environmental and emerging risks.

For more information:

• On the work of the independent scientific committees of the Commission