94% of polymers to avoid safety checks under EU draft law, experts warn

New draft EU rules looking at chemicals and the health impact of the widespread use of plastics would allow 94% of polymers to go unregulated, according to scientists at Brussels-based NGO the European Environmental Bureau (EEB).

Of a total of around 200,000 polymers, only 6% would require safety checks under the proposed Reach chemicals regulations, which the EEB says are being "crippled" by chemical industry lobbying.

The group argues that this is far too little that the 19 scientists have written to the European Commission on the issue.

Exceptions to the new rules, the scientists say, would include polyesters and polyolefins, both major sources of microplastic; polystyrenes, which have been linked to lung inflammation in rats; and polyacrylamides, which are in wastewater treatment, adhesives and food packaging, and can degrade to the neurotoxic monomer acrylamide.

Read more: Open letter calls for G7 summit to tackle plastic pollution

A 2012 report for the European Commission found that some plastics could have harmful impacts if left unchecked.

The Commission has underlined that the proposals were still at an early stage and that further discussion will take place. "This meeting will discuss some technical aspects of how to register polymers, but not yet discuss the final outcome of how polymers shall be registered, and there is no draft regulation available yet," a spokesperson said.

"We have seen the IPCP publication [the letter signed by 19 scientists] and we will, to the extent possible, take the concerns raised into consideration while advancing our proposal. As the Commission proposal for the registration of polymers is not yet finalised, we cannot disclose further information or comment on the estimated number of polymers that need to be registered."

One of the letter's signatories was Bethanie Carney Almroth, an associate professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. She told The Guardian that while the EU's goal should be to ensure a high level of protection for people and the environment, there were major concerns about lack of data and lack of transparency.

Read more: An innovative solution to the problem of plastic waste

She went on to say that regulators should abide by the precautionary principle, which means not assuming new substances to be harmless and that the onus should be on producers to demonstrate safety.

"Plastic use is pervasive, and [the term] polymers goes beyond plastics to include many more types of products used in numerous applications throughout society. So the question of exposure is significant, and not negligible. Studies indicate some polymers or their monomers/oligomers can cause negative impacts on human health, including hormone disruption and cancerogenicity," she said.

Polymers are chemicals in their own right, separate from those typically added to plastics. EU law requires that chemicals are proven to be safe before they can be sold through a “no data, no market” rule. However, the EEB accuses the chemicals industry of "neglecting" this legal requirement, as well as the ‘polluter pays principle’.

Read more: 20 companies produce 55% of global plastic waste, research reveals

The EEB - which is one of two official observers - went on to say that meetings had been held between Commission officials, industry groups and NGO representatives to adapt the proposal. However, these talks, the group said, were "being dominated by 10 industry groups, including lobbyists from Dow, BASF and INEOS". 

According to lobbyfacts.eu, last year Dow spent up to €2.5 million on lobbying the Commission and BASF apparently spent up to €3.5 million. INEOS has not been listed as lobbying the Commission since 2019 when it spent up to €400,000.

For its part, the EEB spent €7.5 million on lobbying costs in 2020 and attended 40 meetings with officials since the start of last year. 

EEB Deputy Policy Manager for Chemicals, Dolores Romano, said: "Polymer pollution is out of control. We are exposed to it daily, as they are used in plastic, textiles, cleaning products and even cosmetics. We used to think of plastic pollution as bulky junk massing in the environment. Now we know that it breaks up into a vast cloud of micro and nanoplastics contaminating the land, water, and air, as well as showing up in our bodies.

"We know already that dozens of polymers are toxic, so officials must be allowed to check the safety of the rest. Instead, industry is hijacking a once-in-a-decade opportunity to probe polymers and share this information. We can’t afford to have them close our eyes to a growing problem for another decade."

Back to Homepage

Back to Chemicals & Biochemicals