WRITTEN QUESTION E-2049/03

by Konstantinos Hatzidakis (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(20 June 2003)

Subject: Use of clophen in Greece

It was recently revealed that there had been a leakage of clophen in the building of the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Greece. At the same time the BIMA newspaper published a report stating that, apart from Greek Electricity Board installations, there were 7 500 substations reducing the tension of electrical current in the basements of buildings belong to public bodies, hospitals and undertakings, many of which contain the dangerous substance clophen.

1. Have the Greek authorities informed the Commission in which installations this specific substance is used?

2. What public health risks does the use of this specific substance entail?

3. Has it already taken action to address this problem in Greece?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(7 August 2003)

1. Member States are obliged to establish inventories on equipment with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) volumes of more than five cubic decimetres (5 dm3) and to submit a summary of such inventory to the Commission pursuant to Article 4 of Council Directive 96/59/EC of 16 September 1996 on the disposal of polychlorinated biphenyls and polychlorinated terphenyls (PCB/PCT)(1). The Greek Authorities did not complete the inventory. On 5 June 2003 the Court of Justice condemned Greece for failing to draw up, within the prescribed period, summaries of inventories of equipment with PCB volumes of more than 5 dm3 (case C-83/02)(2).

The incomplete data submitted by Greece contains a contribution of 56 % of the Prefectural governments and regions. It displays 303 number of units containing 11 884 condensers and 979 condensers/units in storage(3).

2. Following a communication from the United Nations Environment Programme(4), PCBs bio-accumulate in the fatty tissues of exposed animals and humans (Ponnambalam 1998; Neumeier 1998; Fiedler 1997) and this exposure is believed to be responsible for a wide variety of health effects. Acute exposures to high levels of PCBs have been associated with skin rashes, itching and burning, eye irritation, skin and fingernail pigmentation changes disturbances in liver function and the immune system, irritation of the respiratory tract, headaches, dizziness, depression, memory loss, nervousness, fatigue, and impotence (Environment Canada 1985). Chronic effects of low-level PCB exposures reported include liver damage, reproductive and developmental effects, and possibly cancer.

3. In June 2003 the Commission received three more written questions(5) from Members of the Parliament concerning the same incident referred to by the Honourable Member. According to the information at the Commission's disposal, there is insufficient evidence to demonstrate that Greece has infringed any Community environmental legislation (apart from the above-mentioned judgement of the Court of Justice).

(1) OJ L 243, 24.9.1996.

(2) Letter from 29.3.2003 from the Permanent Greek Presentation to the Commission.

(3) See answer to Written Question E-2025/03, See page 182. Letter from 29.3.2003 from the Permanent Greek Presentation to the Commission.

(4) UNEP: Guidelines for the Identification of PCBs and Materials Containing PCBs. First Issue August 1999, pp. 3-4.

(5) Written Questions E-1999/03, E-2025/03 and E-2062/03.