WRITTEN QUESTION E-0187/00

by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(31 January 2000)

Subject: Dioxin scare and PVC

The WHO currently recommends that exposure should not top 1,4 TEQ/kg body weight per day, including dioxins and dioxin-like substances. In a recent report published on 30 November 1999, EU experts estimated the average dietary exposure for consumers within the EU to be as high as 2,6 TEQ/kg body weight per day. The average EU citizen therefore consumes more dioxin and dioxin-like substances than is acceptable according to the WHO. This means that the daily intake of these hazardous substances by the most vulnerable groups, such as babies and children, is clearly above the WHO recommendations. This situation has to changes as soon as possible.

Which measures does the Commission intend to take in order to reduce adverse health effects related to exposure to dioxins?

Can the Commission indicate, or give an estimate of, how the present situation could be improved with one of the following three alternatives: an EU-ban on soft PVCs, an EU ban on hard PVCs or an EU ban on all PVCs?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(17 April 2000)

The policy of the Commission to reduce adverse health effects related to dioxins focusses on reducing human exposure to these compounds (dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs).

More than 90 % of human exposure to dioxins derives from food, the rest being accounted for by inhalation from air and ingestion of particles from air, ingestion of contaminated soil and dermal absorption. Additionally, about 90 % of the exposure from food derives from foods of animal origin. The animals are themselves contaminated through feed and general environmental contamination.

Surveys of food contamination and consumption now appear to confirm a decrease in human exposure to dioxins of a factor of 2 to 3 between the 70's 80's and the late 90's although some data gaps exist. The estimated average dietary exposure for consumers within the Community is currently in the range 1-3 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day. This does not include dioxin-like PCBs, which are estimated to contribute roughly 50 % of total dietary exposure measured as TEQs. If dioxin-like PCBs are taken into account, exposure could be in the range of 2-6 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day. The World Health Organisation currently recommends that exposure should not exceed 1-4 TEQ/kg body weight/day, including both dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs.

Further reductions in human exposure to dioxins will come from two fronts, firstly a reduction in the flow of dioxins into the food chain through new proposals to limit dioxin content of animal feed (limits on foodstuffs are also being examined) and secondly a further tightening of environmental emission standards. One concrete measure is the adoption of the proposed directive on the incineration of waste(1) foreseen for later this year. Further general reduction of emissions due to European environmental policy (e.g. through the progressive application of the IPPC directive) will also help improve the situation over the long term.

A ban on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products would not have a direct effect on exposure to dioxins since PVC does not contain or release dioxins during use. PVC is the largest source of chlorine entering incinerators (50 %) and its contribution to the overall level of emissions of dioxins by waste incinerators has been at the centre of a major scientific debate. However, other waste streams (e.g. paper 11 %, putrescibles 17 %) also account for significant fractions of the chlorine entering waste incinerators and the new directive on the incineration of waste will considerably reduce the overall contribution of this source to dioxin emissions.

In order to reduce further the potential adverse health effects related to exposure to dioxins, the Commission has also been funding research on the risk of environmental dioxins. A project from the Fourth RTD framework programme has recently been completed (Risks of environmental dioxins: linking epidemiology with toxicity studies to strengthen accurate risk assessment) and a new project (Comprehensive risk analysis of dioxins: development of a methodology to assess genetic susceptibility to developmental disturbances and cancer) has just been started. While the first study did not support the prevailing hypothesis that dioxins at present concentrations would be a risk factor for soft tissue sarcoma, it actually found that usual population background exposure to dioxins is associated with lower cancer risk than near zero concentrations. The objective of the new study is to set a scientifically defendable limit of safe exposure to dioxins, as to developmental effects and cancer.

(1) OJ C 372, 2.12.1998.