Interview – Towards more sustainable and safer chemicals

What do we know about chemicals in the environment, especially in water bodies?

Chemicals are essential for the well-being, health, safety and comfort of modern society. However, in addition to these positive benefits, chemicals can have hazardous properties which can harm the environment and human health.

Chemicals in the environment, particularly in water bodies, present a complex challenge for the health of people and ecosystems. Many hazardous chemicals can travel long distances over water and also end up in the food chain, affecting the environment, animals and humans.

Dr Sharon McGuinness

ECHA Executive Director

It is a serious concern. A recent Eurobarometer study showed that more than 80% of European residents are worried about the impact of chemicals in everyday products and on the environment.

ECHA’s work under the EU’s chemicals regulation, REACH, helps protect the environment from hazardous chemicals. We are also contributing to the regulation of chemicals in drinking water and groundwater as well as in lakes, rivers and the sea.

Should specific chemicals cause concern, or is the problem their increasing production?

The risk caused by chemicals depends on how hazardous they are and how much people or the environment are exposed to them, so both factors are important.

A recent report by the EEA and ECHA shows that the transition towards safer and more sustainable chemicals is progressing in some areas, while in others, it is just getting started.

Data at the EU level suggest that the production and consumption of the most harmful chemicals is growing more slowly than the overall market for them. There is increasing pressure on industry from regulators, consumers and supply chains to substitute the most harmful substances with safer alternatives.

What kind of actions does the EU take to reduce the harmful impacts of chemicals?

The EU has comprehensive and protective laws for chemicals, supported by an advanced knowledge base that ECHA hosts.

Action by authorities and industry has already supported minimising and controlling the risks from several groups of hazardous chemicals. For example, ECHA prepared a proposal to restrict microplastics in products. This restriction is now adopted, and it is expected to prevent the release of 500,000 tonnes of microplastics into the environment over 20 years.

Another example is our work in restricting the use of lead shot for hunting in wetlands, which will significantly reduce lead pollution and prevent lead poisoning of around 1 million waterbirds every year.

Overall, the number of industrial chemicals that has come under scrutiny by EU authorities has substantially increased since 2010. EU authorities currently have much better knowledge about the hazardous properties of high-volume chemicals on the EU market compared to before.

Why is regulating chemicals difficult? Can it be simplified?

Understanding the properties and effects of chemicals requires reliable data and in-depth scientific assessment as we need to understand their effects on humans and the environment. Obtaining reliable data is a lengthy and thorough scientific process.

ECHA is playing an active role to speed up protecting people and the environment. One way of adding efficiency is to assess chemicals in groups. For example, a recent restriction of chemicals in tattoo inks and permanent make-up covers 4,000 different chemicals. Our scientific committees are currently working on a proposal to restrict up to 10,000 PFAS chemicals.

We are also working on New Approach Methodologies, NAMs, to increase efficiency in gathering data on chemicals’ properties and to reduce the need to test on animals. Cooperation with authorities, industry and stakeholders is essential to move forward in this field.

How does ECHA contribute to these efforts in the EU?

We protect health and the environment through our work for chemical safety. The work we do is always based on science, collaboration and knowledge.

ECHA develops independent scientific and technical opinions and takes binding decisions to ensure that chemicals companies comply with European law. Our committees provide scientific advice relating to hazards and risks of chemicals, their impact on society and ways to mitigate their risks.

We host the largest database on chemicals in the world and use this knowledge to advance chemical safety. Companies, researchers, industry and consumers can benefit from this data as well as the software formats and tools to use it.

There is an ongoing proposal to further enlarge this database with more information on chemicals, including human biomonitoring data. Our future platform will provide a complete overview of studies on chemicals and will serve as a scientific base for evidence-based policymaking on chemicals. It also sets an early warning and action system for emerging chemical risks.

One recent example of our work relates to making drinking water safer. ECHA has started reviewing and maintaining the lists of chemicals that can be used in materials coming into contact with drinking water, from the water source to the tap.

Knowledge about chemicals is the core of our work. Together with the EEA, we have been working on chemicals indicators to assess the drivers and impacts of chemical pollution. The data show that we need to accelerate the transition towards safe and sustainable chemicals.

Action by authorities and industry has helped minimise and control the risks from hazardous chemicals. But we need to further increase knowledge on chemicals and support the risk management of groups of chemicals to protect people and the environment.