WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3092/97 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Medical treatment options for persons severely injured by chemicals
Date: 1997-10-02
Institutions: BREYER, European Parliament
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, chemical product, financing, medical research, public health, research and development, technological change, therapeutics, trauma













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91997E3092

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 3092/97 by Hiltrud BREYER to the Commission. Medical treatment options for persons severely injured by chemicals  


Official Journal C 134 , 30/04/1998 P. 0078 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-3092/97 by Hiltrud Breyer (V) to the Commission (2 October 1997)Subject: Medical treatment options for persons severely injured by chemicals1. Are research funds made available in the individual countries of the EU to investigate illnesses caused by chemicals?If not, why not, particularly in view of the fact that such research is being stepped up in the United States?If so, what is the amount of research funding being made available?2. Are these research funds allocated to independent institutes?3. Does industrial funding reach these research projects?4. In which European country is sensitivity to chemicals recognized as a severe disability, as in the United States?Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (11 November 1997)1. - 3. The Commission is not informed whether, beyond the matching funds provided by the participants in Community research projects, research funds are being made available by public or private bodies in the Member States to investigate illnesses caused by chemicals. Nor is it in a position, therefore, to provide answers as to the sources and allocation of such funding in the Member States.Under the Community research programme on biomedicine and health ((OJ L 361, 31.12.1994. )), and particularly in the area of occupational and environmental health, projects are being funded which relate to illness caused by chemical products. The Biomed 2 occupational health budget totals ECU 11 million.Since Community funds cover only a part of project costs, the remaining funding is provided by the participants. Such research is supported following open calls for proposals and evaluation by independent experts. All legal entities (undertakings, research centres and universities) ((Council Decision of 21.11.1994 concerning the rules for the participation of undertakings, research centres and universities in RTD and demonstration activities of the EC (OJ L 306, 30.11.1994). )) in the Community and associated states may apply.4. Chemical hyper-reactivity is an unexplained heightened response to chemicals at levels far lower than those at which most people respond and is often called (or associated with) multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), sick building syndrome (SBS) or chemical hypersensitivity. There is a lack of compelling scientific evidence concerning the relationship between exposure to specific agents and health effects.The Commission is aware that some Member States keep exposure or event-specific information for industrial, occupational and domestic environments or consumer product-based cases. Other Member States have patient-specific information which is not published, but can be used to stimulate discussion or suggest hypotheses for scientific work.The Commission is not aware of Member States assigning the status of disability to conditions described with terms such as MCS.