25. 4. 85 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 104/1 
II 
(Preparatory Acts) 
ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE 
Opinion on the proposal for a Council Directive relating to restrictions on the marketing and use of 
certain dangerous substances and preparations (second PCB/PCT Directive) 
(85/C 104/01) 
On 16 October 1984 the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, under 
Article 100 of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on the abovementioned 
proposal. 
The Section for Protection of the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Affairs, which was 
responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its opinion on 5 February 
1985 in the light of the report by Mr Vassilaras. 
At its 224th plenary session (meeting of 27 February 1985) the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following opinion: 
1. The Committee supports the Commission's initiative 
aimed at prohibiting the marketing of polychlorinated 
biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCTs) as 
from 30 June 1986, since these are substances highly toxic 
both to man and to the environment. 
2. The Committee regrets that the use of PCBs/PCTs in 
the plant and equipment specified in points 1 to 5 in the 
right-hand column of Annex 1 to Directive 76/769/EEC 
may be authorized by means of a special Council Directive 
until the end of the service life of this plant and 
equipment. 
2.1. The Committee would call upon the Commission to 
consider the possibility of fixing a time limit for the use of 
plant and equipment containing PCBs/PCTs (listed in points 
1 to 5 of Annex 1 to Directive 75/769/EEC) and proposes 
that they be replaced within three years. 
2.2. The Committee considers that to allow highly 
dangerous substances to be used until the end of the service 
life of the plant and equipment in which they are 
incorporated would be incompatible with the essential safety 
and protection requirements in this field. 
3. The Committee is aware of the technical problems that 
could be involved in immediate complete disposal of 
PCBs/PCTs in the manner provided for in Directive 
76/403/EEC, i.e. in State-approved undertakings and 
without endangering human health or the environment. 4. According to the Commission, there are at present few 
undertakings in the Community capable of disposing of these 
substances in the manner referred to above and it is obvious 
that they will be unable to deal with all requests for the 
disposal of PCBs/PCTs. 
5. The Committee would also suggest that it be clearly 
indicated in Article 2 of the proposal that it is forbidden to 
trade in PCBs/PCTs or to transfer them from plant and 
equipment that is no longer in service to other plant and 
equipment that needs them in order to operate. 
6. The Committee would also draw the Commission's 
attention to the need to check products from third countries 
which contain PCBs/PCTs and to the need to prohibit the 
incorporation of these substances in products intended for 
third countries. 
7. The Committee would further suggest that, taking the 
arrangements in certain Member States as its model, the 
Commission should propose the setting-up in all the Member 
States of public inspection bodies with the task of making 
systematic and specific checks of plant and equipment 
containing PCBs/PCTs. 
8. Finally, the Committee hopes that in the specific 
Directive referred to in Article 1 (2) the Commission will also 
take account of the risk of accidents which can occur at any 
No C 104/2 Official Journal of the European Communities 25. 4. 85 
time, with frequently calamitous effects (Seveso, Bhopal), introduction of straightforward procedures for the 
and that it will take all the necessary steps to encourage the immediate compensation of victims. 
Done at Brussels, 27 February 1985. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Gerd MUHR 
Opinion on the draft Council resolution on a programme of action of the European Communities on 
toxicology for health protection 
(85/C 104/02) 
On 29 June 1984 the Council decided, in accordance with Article 198 of the Treaty establishing the 
European Economic Community, to consult the Economic and Social Committee on the 
abovementioned draft resolution. 
The Committee's work was prepared by the Section for Protection of the Environment, Public Health 
and Consumer Affairs, which adopted its opinion on 5 February 1985 (rapporteur: Mr Low). 
At its 224th plenary session (meeting of 27 February 1985) the Economic and Social Committee 
adopted the opinion unanimously: 
1. General comments 
1.1. The Committee welcomes and endorses the 
Commission's proposal. The programme of action meets the 
wish and the demands of workers, consumers and, in a more 
general sense, the whole population for improved protection 
against the risk of poisoning. 
1.2. The action programme should help to bring about 
better use of research resources through the exchange of 
experience and scientific knowledge, to avoid the duplication 
which is still widespread. At the same time it could speed up 
improvement in the protection afforded. It should also lead, 
through improved cooperation at Community level, to a 
reduction in experiments on animals. 
1.3. The Committee also points out that the proposed 
programme should contain not only measures to deal with 
toxicological problems on a day-by-day basis but also 
measures to cope with major toxicological disasters. 
1.4. The programme ought also to take account of the 
indirect poisoning risk to humans resulting from the passage 
of poisons (pesticides) into the food chain. It should also bear 
in mind the need for environmental protection. 2. Specific comments 
2.1. Under the heading 'Toxicological practice' 
2.1.1. The proposal concerning the evaluation and 
comparability of data should be defined in more detail (for 
example, as to what methods should be used in the field of 
immunology). 
2.1.2. In the collection of toxicological data, the 
protection of trade secrets is particularly important. 
However, this protection should not be used as a pretext to 
withhold essential information. 
2.2. Under the heading 'Clinical toxicology' 
2.2.1. It should be explicitly stated that this subject 
includes epidemiological toxicology, as the definition of 
clinical toxicology might vary between the Member 
States. 
2.2.2. It would be desirable to establish a toxico-vigilance 
system for poison control centres, in order to accelerate 
recognition of problems and thus reduce the time-lag 
between the first appearance of a new syndrome and its 
recognition as toxic. 
2.2.3. For poison control centres to function effectively it 
would be necessary for them to obtain the maximum