WRITTEN QUESTION E-0391/04 by Alexander de Roo (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Hair dye and cancer risks.
Date: 2004-02-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: carcinogenic substance, consumer protection, cosmetic product, product safety, public health, scientific committee (EU), scientific report

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(2004/C 84 E/0448)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0387/04

by Yves Butel (EDD) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: Wind turbines

In France, the planned proliferation of wind turbines in rural and natural areas raises the question of
whether they are compatible with the environment, public safety and the upkeep of traditional customs,
including hunting.

It would appear that ‘buffer zones’ of 500 m to 1 km are being advocated, in which hunting, in particular,
would be prohibited (in Germany, for example).

Are there examples in Europe of hunting practices that have been prohibited because of the presence of
wind turbines? What reasons were given?

Has the Commission produced a study of the socio-cultural consequences and the consequences for the
countryside of the European policy of promoting this form of energy?

Answer given by Mrs Wallström on behalf of the Commission

(12 March 2004)

The Commission is not aware of examples in Europe where hunting practices have been prohibited
because of the presence of wind turbines.

The Commission’s position in relation to the development of wind farms in environmentally sensitive
areas,
is outlined in its response to Written Question P-0339/04 by
Mr Bernié (1).

including Natura 2000 areas,

Restrictions in hunting within a buffer zone around wind turbines exclusively in response to these
developments would not appear to be a measure justified on nature conservation grounds but may be due
to other human health and safety considerations.

The Community has not produced a global study of socio-cultural consequences and the consequences for
the countryside but the Community programmes require that the projects funded in the field of renewable
energy in general, and of the wind energy sector in particular, provide an impact assessment under social,
economic and environmental aspects.

(1) See page 365.

(2004/C 84 E/0449)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0391/04

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

(12 February 2004)

Subject: Hair dye and cancer risks

Many women over the age of 45 and a growing minority of men over the age of 45 dye their hair
regularly. New American research (published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, January 2004)
shows that women who started dyeing their hair before 1980 have a 40 % higher chance of contracting
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a malignant disease of the lymphatic system.

In 2002 American researchers (University of Southern California) had already ascertained that regularly
dyeing the hair led to a doubling in the risk of bladder cancer. The substances in hair dye also cause a
higher incidence of cancer of the uterus.

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is probably toxic chemical substances such as para-phenylene diamine (PPD) and tetrahydro-6-

It
nitroquinoxaline that cause these forms of cancer.

Does the Commission agree that the abovementioned toxins must not be allowed to occur in consumer
products such as hair dyes?

What is the current situation as regards the scientific investigations being carried out by the Scientific
Committee for Cosmetic Products, as announced by the Commission on 17 January 2002 in its answer to
a written question by Torben Lund (E-2881/01 (1))?

(1) OJ C 115 E, 16.5.2002, p. 185.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(29 March 2004)

Further to the information already provided in the answer to Written Question E-2881/01 by Mr Lund, the
following actions and measures have been taken.

At the level of the Scientific Committee on Cosmetic Products and Non-Food Products (SCCNFP)

The SCCNFP on 27 February 2002 adopted a discussion paper that was placed on the web-site of the
Commission, Health and Consumer Protection DG. Interested parties were invited to comment. On 4 June
2002 it adopted ‘A strategy for testing hair-dye cosmetic ingredients for their potential genotoxicity/
mutagenicity.’ This was supplemented by a recent opinion of 17 December 2002 updating ‘Basic
requirements for toxicological dossiers to be evaluated by the SCCNFP’.

Industry is required to submit files that must conform to the above-mentioned principles and the ‘Notes of
Guidance for testing of cosmetic ingredients for their safety evaluation’. The 5th revision of these notes
was adopted on 20 October 2003.

At the level of the Risk Management

In 2003 the Commission, together with Member States and representatives of both consumers and
industry, discussed strategy for the systematic evaluation of hair dyes in relation to published reports on a
possible link between permanent hair dye use and bladder cancer. The strategy was agreed on July 2003
and published on the web-site of the Commission, Directorate-General Enterprise. The main element of the
strategy is a tiered, modulated approach requiring industry to submit by certain deadlines safety dossiers
on hair dyes to be evaluated by SCCNFP. The actions and deadlines for hair dyes for which files are to be
submitted alone or in combination are included in the published strategy. The overall objective of this
strategy is to regulate the use of substances such as hair dye ingredients on the basis of the most recent
scientific evaluation of dossiers.

Substances for which no file has been submitted for risk assessment by the SCCNFP will be banned
immediately whereas substances for which information is available will be assessed later on. The
Commission is now in the process of consulting Member States with a view to a ban of a first list of more
than 100 substances for which no safety file was submitted by the end of September 2003. This measure
will be adopted following the comitology procedure. For substances for which a file is available, a deadline
of July 2005 is in place for the files to be brought up to date with the new data requirements set by the
SCCNFP. A deadline on submissions of tests conducted on combinations of substances to simulate the real
life exposure of consumers will be set after consultation with the Member States.

The two substances mentioned by the Honourable Member, para-phenylene diamine and tetrahydro-6-
nitroquinoxaline, are also covered by the strategy. As, to date, files for these two substances are available,
updated dossiers which meet the new data requirements set by the SCCNFP, have to be submitted by July
2005 at the latest.

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With regard to the recent publication in the American Journal of Epidemiology (1) the authors concluded,
that they found ‘an increased risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma among women who started using darker
hair-colouring products before 1980 but not among women who started using products after that. Future
studies designed to collect similar exposure information are needed to determine whether our findings for
hair dye use before 1980 are replicated in other populations.’ The Commission will conduct a
comprehensive literature review on all publications linking the use of hair dyes with various forms of
cancer and submit it to the SCCNFP with a view to obtaining its analysis and advice on this issue in a
holistic comprehensive manner.

(1) Zhang Y, Holford TR, Leaderer B et al. Hair-colouring products use and risk of Non-Hodkin’s Lymphoma:

A population-based case-control study in Connecticut. Am J Epidemiol 2004;159:148-154.

(2004/C 84 E/0450)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0392/04

by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission

(6 February 2004)

Subject: The EU’s continuing capacity to receive large quotas of immigrants from third-world countries

According to Eurostat, the population of EU-15 rose in 2003 by 1 276 200 to 380,8 million, with
982 600 persons or 77 % of this growth being made up of immigrants to the EU, mainly from third world
countries.

At the same time, the Head of the UN Population Office, Joseph Chamie, has published information
showing that the EU’s population figures have been on the decline since 1998. Joseph Chamie’s statement
is then used to claim that the EU needs immigration from third-world countries.

A negative population trend has indeed been recorded in certain east and central European countries and,
if Russia, Ukraine and Belarus are counted as part of Europe, there has been a slight fall in the population
figure for the European area as a whole although this is clearly not the case for EU-15.

It is well known that the immigration flows from the third world are directed towards EU-15 in particular.
In addition, the Commission’s own analyses have concluded that the changes in the age structure of the
population in the years to come mean that the EU will need to see a larger proportion of the active age
groups entering the labour market and remaining there longer because immigrants from the third world
cannot, as a general rule, replace the skilled Europeans who leave the labour market early or stay away
from it altogether.

Will the Commission state whether it is of the opinion that the heavily overpopulated cities in the EU, the
overloaded transport systems, the overstretched welfare systems, unemployment in the EU and the major
social and crime issues associated with the EU’s immigrant communities indicate that the EU should
continue to receive such large quotas of people from non-western cultures?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(10 March 2004)

In its communication on immigration, integration and employment of 3 June 2003 (1), the Commission
referred to demographic estimates showing that the population of Europe is ageing and is set to decline
between now and 2010-2020. The extent of these demographic developments enables us to predict that
the Lisbon target of a 70 % employment rate will be achieved by 2010, or even surpassed.

Although the economic implications of these socio-demographic changes will become apparent only over
time, increasingly frequent labour shortages have already been observed in several Member States. The
Commission considers that, even if immigration is not a realistic solution that will entirely offset the effects
of demographic ageing on the employment market, labour migration can help to reduce the shortages in
the short term.
the
demographic transition which will take place between 2010 and 2030.

It can also contribute to spreading over a longer period the repercussions of