Ségolène Royal and Marisol Touraine ask the European Commission to include the precautionary principle in its definition of endocrine disruptors.
France asks the European Commission to review its copy. Neither the Minister of the Environment, Ségolène Royal, nor the Minister of Health, Marisol Touraine, are convinced by the definition of endocrine disruptors proposed by the Commission. Both consider that it is necessary “to go further” and to propose “a version more protective of health and the environment”.
These chemicals, like the famous bisphenol A, modify the behavior of hormones produced by the body and alter the functions of the endocrine system. They are suspected of inducing serious pathologies such as obesity, fertility disorders, precocious puberty, cancers. We can therefore see how crucial it was to define them precisely in order to be able to ban them.
Disappearance of the precautionary principle
This was precisely the mission of the European Commission. After 6 years of expertise, these members have retained 3 criteria, which must be met, to define an endocrine disruptor in the field of pesticides: the substance must have a proven effect on human health, it must also present a mode of endocrine action and the relationship between the adverse reaction and the mode of action should be known. With these definitions, all substances suspected of belonging to the category of an endocrine disruptor can be marketed.
And this is what the French government is contesting today. The ministers of health and the environment do not accept the disappearance of the precautionary principle. “France calls for the adoption of a definition also including presumed or suspected endocrine disruptors, which will make it possible to anticipate and initiate preventive measures before all scientific confirmations are available”, explains one. at the Ministry of the Environment.
In addition, Ségolène Royal is opposed to the modification of the regulation relating to plant protection products allowing “to revise the possible exemptions, which is contrary to the position that France has been expressing for several months”.
Backtracking
On the side of the Ministry of Health, we are worried about the backtracking that could cause this text, if it were voted. “In the law to modernize our health system, ahead of the regulatory decisions of the European Union, the ban on bisphenol A has been extended to children’s toys. If the European Commission’s proposal were adopted as it stands, these bans could be called into question, ”he assures us.
“Europe is in a moment of strong and collective awareness of the impact of the environment on health. You have to transform the test. France will fight for a Europe that protects the health of all its citizens and to go even further, ”declared Marisol Touraine after expressing France’s position to the Council of Health Ministers of the European Union this Friday morning .
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