Hazardous chemicals under your bed: EU needs to act

Press Release

Hazardous chemicals under your bed - EU needs to act

Press Release on behalf of EEB members SSNC with the contribution of ChemSec, BUND, CAAG, SSL.

[14th September 2011] - Dangerous chemical cocktails linked to cancer, birth defects, and other developmental disorders lie hidden under beds all around the world according to the report ‘Home sweet home, dusty surprises under the bed’. The report launched today by EEB member Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) was prepared in collaboration with other EEB members ChemSec, BUND, CAAG and SSL.

These toxic chemicals, known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have become increasingly under the spotlight in recent years due to their potential impacts on health [1]. Many everyday household items such as electronics, furniture and toys contain these chemicals which are used to change the properties of materials such as softening plastic, used as flame retardants or preservatives and have been shown to leech out into the surrounding environment.

Most at risk of exposure to the chemicals found in household dust are those closest to the floor – young children. Europeans spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, where the exposure to chemicals can be a thousand times higher than that found outdoors.

The dust analysed was collected by vacuum cleaners in bedrooms in six European countries, four countries in Africa and two in Southeast Asia.[2]

Some of the highest levels of hazardous chemicals investigated, such as nonylphenol and some phthalates, were found in European homes.

“This report shows that highly problematic chemicals, such as many of the chemicals on the SIN List,[3] are commonly found under people’s beds. In order to be able to sleep well at night the EU and all European countries must act strongly. Currently people are not properly protected by EU laws from this cocktail[4] of endocrine disrupters,” says ChemSec Director, Anne-Sofie Andersson.

The study looks at certain chemicals present in dust, and does not take into account other sources of chemical exposure in indoor environments. Even only considering dust, the findings show that the total level of phthalates[5] were in some countries found to be higher than what public authorities today consider to be safe, if considering the cocktail effect.

EEB has already highlighted in the “Fight to Know” report that a certain group of phthalates is commonly found in consumer products. Suppliers have to respond to consumer requests within 45 days on whether certain substances of very high concern are present in those articles.

The report released today also highlights that in order to fully understand the effects that EDCs have on our health and reproduction, new risk assessment methods for EDCs at European level are crucial, taking into account the EDCs’ ability to have significant effects even at very low doses.

The report concludes with a number of recommendations and demands that mainly apply to the EU’s chemicals Regulation REACH and how it needs to be modified to provide better protection against EDCs and other substances of very high concern.

“The first priority is to avoid exposure to these types of chemicals by banning them and making the substitution requirements come to play before these are able to enter the environment. This is a joint responsibility of industry and the public authorities.” says Christian Schaible, Senior Policy Officer on Chemicals.

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The report is available online at:

www.chemsec.org/endocrine-disrupters/dust-report (in English)
http://www.naturskyddsforeningen.se/upload/Foreningsdokument/Rapporter/miljogifter/gift_under_sangen.pdf (in Swedish)

Press conference (in Swedish) http://bambuser.com/channel/naturskyddsforeningen/broadcast/1969291

For more information, please contact

David Gunnarsson, Report author, SSNC, +46 702 21 44 26
Louise Willeen Bjarke, Head of Press, SSNC +46 708 8477 22
Frida Hök, EDC project coordinator, ChemSec, frida.hok@chemsec.org, + 46 709 72 12 57.

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) is an environmental organization with the power to bring about change. With almost 200 000 members, SSNC spreads knowledge, maps environmental threats, creates solutions, and influences politicians and public authorities, at both national and international levels. Moreover, SSNC stands behind one of the world’s most demanding eco-labels, “Good Environmental Choice”. www.naturskyddsforeningen.se

ChemSec, the International Chemical Secretariat, is a non-profit organisation working for a toxic free world by highlighting the health and environmental risks of hazardous substances, making accurate, science-based information readily available, engaging business and speeding up legislative processes. ChemSec was founded in 2002 by environmental organisations, and stands behind the SIN List. www.chemsec.org.

The dust in European countries has been collected by the following NGOs: European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) and Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) in Belgium, Clean Air Action Group in Hungary, AMICA in Italy, BUND in Germany, Society for Sustainable living in the Czech Republic and the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) in Sweden.

Notes to editors

[1] See the “Save the Men report” (2011) discussing the key role of the endocrine system for a number of functions in the body.

[2] Sweden, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Italy, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

[3] The SIN List contains 378 chemicals that ChemSec has identified as fulfilling the criteria for Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) provided by REACH. The 2.0 version of the SIN List, presented in May, added 22 endocrine disrupting chemicals identified as SVHCs in accordance with REACH criteria solely due to their endocrine disrupting properties.

[4] The cocktail effect means that all substances in a mixture contribute to the mixture properties such as toxicity.

[5] BBP, DBP, DEHP and DINP.