Endocrine disruptors Archives
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CETA and TTIP threaten the EU’s precautionary principle
The precautionary principle may be scrapped in the EU's free trade agreements with Canada and the United States. According to the NGO Foodwatch, this could call into question the bloc's bans on hormone-treated beef and GMOs. EURACTIV France reports.
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Commission prolongs glyphosate licence by 18 months
The European Commission has decided to extend the licence for glyphosate by 18 months, after member states failed to achieve a qualified majority in favour or against the executive’s proposal.
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Pesticide industry critical of endocrine disruptors criteria
The pesticide industry is “extremely disappointed” with the European Commission’s proposal to identify endocrine disruptors that was presented on Wednesday (15 June).
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European Parliament calls Commission to order over endocrine disruptors
MEPs have castigated the European Commission over the delay to the definition of endocrine disruptors and demanded swift action. Initially due for December 2013, the definition has fallen two and a half years behind schedule. EURACTIV France reports.
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Disrupted: The endocrine disruptor debate
The debate on hormone disruptors in the EU is more political than scientific. A decision to ignore the question of potency would cause needless disruption to regulators, industries and consumers, writes Christopher Borgert.
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Commission may offer defining criteria on hormone disruptors by June
After a delay of more than two years, the criteria defining hormone disruptors could be presented at the meeting of the College of European Commissioners on 15 June, Le Monde reported on Friday (20 May). EURACTIV's partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.
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Endocrine disruptors’ link to infertility confirmed
More and more women are finding it difficult to get pregnant, with mounting evidence suggesting chemicals used in plasticisers and pesticides are responsible. The consequences are estimated to cost the EU €1.4 billion per year. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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Brussels promises hormone disruptors definition ‘by this summer’
The European Commission has responded to criticism over its weaknesses on health and food safety with a series of goodwill gestures on hormone disruptors and glyphosate. EURACTIV France reports.
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Endocrine disruptors: ‘Better Regulation’ or better public health?
Endocrine disruptors pose a substantial risk to public health, yet the European Commission has dawdled time and again on introducing measures that would finally limit their use. Now is the time to put this right, write Genon Jensen and Michael Warhurst.
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Study: Food packaging can contribute to obesity
Most food products are now packaged in plastic. German researchers have now shown that plasticisers can enter the body, disrupt hormone production, and cause people to gain weight. EURACTIV Germany reports.
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Consumer rights group launches petition to exclude cosmetics from TTIP
The Danish consumer rights organisation Forbrugerrådet Tænk wants to keep cosmetics regulation out of the Transatlantic free trade negotiations, saying it is worried that the EU will "sell out" its strict standards.
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EU agency launches ‘plain English’ guide to toxic chemicals
A new online guide by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) promises to offer “plain English” information about the hazard profiles of thousands of chemicals, offering a new tool for citizens to hold companies and regulators to account.
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Sweden wins case against Commission on endocrine disruptors
The General Court of the European Union on Wednesday (16 December) backed Sweden, saying that the European Commission breached EU law by failing to publish a definition for hormone-affecting chemicals or 'endocrine disrupters'.
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MEPs block Commission proposal to recycle hormone disrupting plastics
The European Parliament overwhelmingly rejected the Commission's plans to allow the recycling of PVC plastics containing DEHP, a hormone disruptor banned in the EU since February 2015. Our partner Journal de l'Environnement reports.
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Hormone disrupters found in two thirds of French lettuce
An investigation has found that the majority of French lettuce contains traces of hormone disrupting chemicals, some of which are banned. Journal de l'Environnement reports.
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France overturns ban on BPA in export products
A ruling by the French Constitutional Council has undermined the country's ban on Bisphenol A. France's highest court ruled that manufacturers can continue export products that contain the substance. EURACTIV France reports.
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Trade should trump health concerns in hormone disruptor debate, US tells EU
The European Union published its public consultation on hormone disrupters on Friday 24 July. Europe’s trading partners fear the economic impact of tighter regulation, Journal de l'environnement reports.
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‘Cynical’ EU blamed for 100,000 workplace-related cancers
The European Commission’s drive to simplify legislation for businesses – the Better Regulation Agenda – has come under fire from trade unions for blocking EU laws that could save thousands of lives per year.
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Plastics industry raises pressure over BPA ban
The French Council of State has questioned the constitutionality of the country’s ban on Bisphenol A in food packaging, following a request from the plastics industry. The chemical was outlawed in January this year. EURACTIV France reports.
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EU health chief rejects ‘conspiracy theories’ on hormone-affecting chemicals
Vytenis Andriukaitis, the EU's Health and Food Safety Commissioner, passionately defended the European Commission's role in a dispute over delayed proposals to regulate hormone-affecting chemicals, telling a Brussels event that "my services are not highway robbers with knifes in their hands".
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Commission, chemicals lobby deny delaying tactics over hormone disruptors
The European Commission and the chemicals industry have rejected claims, revealed by leaked emails in a new NGO report, that they actively sought to slow down work on the definition of criteria for regulating hormone disrupting chemicals.
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Officials accuse Timmermans of delaying EU health, food safety rules
A growing number of officials in the European Commission's health unit are complaining that health and food safety legislation is being delayed due to slow decision-making from Frans Timmermans, the Commission's First Vice-President in charge of Better Regulation.
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Endocrine disruption: the view of the chemical industry
Endocrine disruption is an important issue of significant public, political and scientific interest. Even though it can give rise to a very emotional debate, policymakers and authorities should deal with endocrine disruptive substances, as with all chemical substances, via a science- and risk-based regulation. Whether a chemical substance can and will cause harm is a fundamental distinction for both authorities and industry in order to effectively protect people and the environment.
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‘Suppressed’ EU report could have banned pesticides worth billions
As many as 31 pesticides with a value running into billions of pounds could have been banned because of potential health risks, if a blocked EU paper on hormone-mimicking chemicals had been acted upon, the Guardian has learned.