EHJ January 2005, pages 30-31

This month, Tina Garrity looks at a Dutch dioxin scare, an EU-wide consultation on air quality and what the commission is doing to reduce the impact of solvents on health and the environment

Late last year a dioxin scare in Holland revealed the important role the EU dioxin monitoring programme plays in protecting public health. In October, during routine monitoring of foodstuffs, the Dutch food safety authority found worrying levels of dioxins in farm milk. The discovery led the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Authority to launch an intensive sampling programme to identify the source of the contaminant while also imposing restrictions on the milk and animals on the affected farm. Further sampling revealed corresponding levels of dioxins were present in potato by-products, including potato peels, at a Dutch potato processing company.

Further investigation revealed that these products were being used in animal feedstuffs being widely distributed to farms across the Netherlands, as well as to a small number of farms in Belgium and Germany. The discovery led to the suspension of all animal movement from the effected farms while officials investigated the problem. The European Commission was notified and its rapid alert system came into force to help trace the delivery chain.

German-produced clay used in water to separate high and low quality potatoes was found to be the source of the contamination. Investigators also found that two cows from one of the effected Dutch farms had been exported to Spain and that the German clay was being used in France. Further testing indicated that the contamination was confined mostly to non-human products and the commission issued a statement reassuring consumers there was no apparent threat to human health. Despite the incident not posing a direct threat to public health EU officials believe that the case highlights an ongoing problem with dioxins and that the inspection authorities need to be vigilant.

Limits for dioxins in food are laid down by commission regulation No 466/2001 of 8 March 2001. This sets maximum levels for certain contaminants in foodstuffs. A commission recommendation issued in October 20041 on the monitoring of background levels of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in foodstuffs sets out for each member state the minimum number of food samples to be analysed yearly for different foodstuffs, based on production levels, until December 2006. It is hoped that this will help to ensure that any further incidences of contamination continue to be picked up and acted upon quickly.

Commission press release IP/04/1343. 5 November 2004.

1. http://europa.eu.int/eurlex/pri/en/oj/dat/2004/l_321/l_32120041022en00450052.pdf

PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON AIR POLLUTION

One of the commission's key initiatives for 2005 is to develop a thematic strategy on air pollution. Thematic strategies are at the heart of EU environmental policy as defined by the sixth environmental action programme. Altogether seven thematic strategies are envisaged in key environmental areas. They aim to provide frameworks for action while outlining an overall approach to tackling a specific environmental issue. Solutions will be proposed along with specific legislative action. In some cases, the commission envisages further legislative proposals at a later date. These will be announced in the umbrella document, together with a time schedule. The umbrella document will also outline:

• what environmental object is trying to be achieved
• the strategies objectives and targets
• the measures proposed to reach the objectives and targets
• relevant targets for major measures
• monitoring mechanisms to measure progress and evaluate effectiveness of measures
• an implementation timetable.

Specific measures may take the form of revisions to existing legislation, new legislative proposals or other implementation means.

The air pollution thematic strategy is being developed under the auspices of a programme of technical analysis and policy development called Clean Air for Europe (Cafe). A number of activities are underway. For example, a "baseline scenario" is being prepared by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (Iiasa) in Austria, which will allow the commission to understand how air quality in Europe is likely to evolve between now and 2020, based on current policies and measures. It will also help to determine the extent to which air quality problems can be expected to persist in the future and will provide a benchmark against which other policy scenarios can be compared. A summary of the work undertaken so far has been published on the commission's website.1 The University of Leuven has developed a policy assessment model called Tremove under the Cafe initiative. This aims to study the effects of different transport and environment policies on the emissions of the transport sector.

As part of its preparations for the new strategy, the commission has launched a public consultation on its website consisting of an on-line questionnaire designed to elicit views from EU citizens and organisations on how air pollution affects their lives. It asks them how much they know about air pollution and whether they think air quality in their neighbourhood has got better or worse in recent years.

It also asks them how concerned they are about air pollution and invites them to rank the importance of air pollution initiatives compared to action on other areas such as climate change, water and noise.

The questionnaire goes on to ask people what level of risk they are prepared to accept as a result of breathing poor air quality and what level of funding should be assigned to reducing environmental risk. Intriguingly, it also asks whether action on air pollution is more important than action on other non-environmental issues such as fighting terrorism or reducing unemployment. It poses questions about what sort of air pollution needs tackling most (transport, industrial etc) and invites people to say what they are prepared to do themselves to improve air quality.

The deadline for submissions is 31 January 2005 and the commission hopes to publish the results in March 2005.

Air pollution - what do you think?

1. http://europa.eu.int/yourvoice/consultations/cafe/baseline-executive_summary.pdf

NEW INFORMATION EXCHANGE ON THE SUBSTITUTION OF SOLVENTS

Under EU law the commission is committed to making sure there is a free flow of information between member states and industry on the use of volatile organic compounds in organic solvents. All concerned must also be kept abreast of any developments in finding less harmful substitutes. This obligation is laid out in Council Directive 1999/13/EC of 11 March 1999.

This exchange must look at fitness for use, the potential effects on human health and occupational exposure in particular, impacts on the environment, economic consequences and the costs and benefits of available options.

This information exchange aims to provide guidance on the use of substances and techniques which have the least impact on air, water, soil, ecosystems and human health. Following the exchange of information, the commission must publish guidance for each activity covered by the directive. Member states will be expected to take this guidance into account when drawing up general binding rules.

The process of issuing guidance has now begun with the creation of a special section on the commission's website. Over 40 guidance notes covering sectors such as wood coating, paint manufacturing, vehicle finishing and dry-cleaning have been published. The collection is somewhat haphazard, however, with the guidance notes having different sources and dates. For example, the dry-cleaning guidance, which looks at potential alternatives to perchloroethylene, appears to be an old 1998 NIOSH/CDC publication. The guidance note on vapour degreasing, meanwhile, is the one produced by the UK Metal Finishing Association for the environmental technology best practice programme. There is nothing on the site to say how the commission compiled its list or whether the documents have been through any sort of vetting process. Nevertheless, it is a starting point and presumably the site will be developed more fully over the coming months.