European Commission sets-out means to classify endocrine-disrupting chemicals

European Commission has introduced criteria for categorising and imposing a ban on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

Endocrines are chemicals used in everyday products, including cosmetics, paints, and pesticides. However, these hormone-altering chemicals have been associated with several medical conditions such as infertility, obesity, diabetes, cancer, birth defects, and reproductive problems, reported the Guardian.

EU president Jean-Claude Juncker said: "The commission is committed to ensuring the highest level of protection of both human health and the environment, which is why we are today putting forward strict criteria for endocrine disrupters, based on science, making the EU regulatory system the first worldwide to define such scientific criteria in legislation."

The endocrines policy has experienced delays, missing several deadlines, faced disapproval of EU courts, as well as mounting pressure from the US under the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership talks.

For the proposal, the commission has taken the definition of endocrines by World Health Organisation.

According to this definition, substances need to have an endocrinal mode of action and linked to an adverse health impacts.

The commission proposed to the European Council and the European Parliament to embrace a strong science-based approach to identification of endocrine disruptors and to endorse the WHO definition.

This move by the commission has been severely criticised by scientific communities, NGOs, consumer and industry groups.

Human toxicologist, who has authored endocrine studies for the European Commission, Professor Andreas Kortenkamp was quoted by The Guardian as saying: "The WHO definition is not a criteria, it is just a definition. In effect, the commission has decided to place the burden of deciding how to regulate endocrine-disrupting chemicals onto the assessors on a case-by-case basis.

"So you will probably have total variance in how high the bar is set in order to declare something an endocrine-disrupting chemical, with all the regulatory consequences that has in terms of a lack of consistency."