On the 25th of March 2021, the European Parliament’s Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL) adopted its Report on the Commission proposal for a 4th wave revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD), by 40 votes to 4 and 8 abstentions. The EMPL Committee approved all the 14 compromise amendments, the main results are the following:
- Extending the scope of the CMD to reprotoxic substances.
- Coverage of Hazardous Medicinal Products in the directive.
- Call on the Commission to put forward an action plan before the end of 2021 to achieve limit values for at least 25 substances and to propose legislation for this by end of 2024.
- Proposal for a risk-based approach for setting limit values, at least with clarification in the articles that limit values must be evidence-based.
- On acrylonitrile, nickel compounds and benzene, the limit values proposed by the Commission were confirmed, with an additional skin notation for acrylonitrile as well as a notation for dermal and respiratory sensitisation for nickel compounds.
- Proposal to lower the OEL for Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) from the current one – 0.1 mg/m³, to 0.05 mg/m³. (NB: very slim majority – 27 against 25 votes).
- Proposal to introduce a limit value for cobalt and cobalt compounds by end of 2023, following consultation of the ACSH, taking into account the RAC opinion of 2018 and the latest developments in scientific knowledge.
The plenary vote is scheduled for the week of 26-29 April 2021.
Cerame-Unie and the NEPSi secretariat and signatories will actively work to stop the Proposal to lower the OEL for Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) from the current one to go through in plenary. Should you wish to be involved in the advocacy please contact us. (MN)
