MEPs demand better protection for workers from toxic substances and urge EU to assess safety of mineral wool

At the end of March, the Employment and Social Affairs Committee of the European Parliament voted unanimously (with six abstentions) for stricter EU rules to better protect workers from exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances, writes Martin Banks.

This 4th revision of the EU Directive 2004/37 on carcinogens and mutagens at work (CMD), proposed by the European Commission, would add limit values for two carcinogens and revise the limit value downwards for another one. 

It targets cancer as the primary cause of work-related deaths in the EU. Annually, 52% of occupational deaths are attributed to cancer. Exposure at work accounts for 5.3%-8.4 % cases of cancer and is responsible for approximatively 120,000 cancers diagnosed and more than 100,000 deaths every year. 

The most common types of occupational cancer are lung cancer and mesothelioma, the cancer of the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (caused by exposure to asbestos particles).

The Parliamentarians voted to extend the scope of the CMD to reprotoxic substances, which negatively affect fertility. They demanded that the Commission puts forward an action plan on these substances before the end of 2021. Furthermore, they also want the Commission to set up an action plan for the adoption of 25 additional occupational exposure limits for carcinogens by the end of 2021, and to propose guidelines to better protect workers from cocktail effects of carcinogens by December 2022.

Tony Musu, from the European Trade Union Institute (ETU), told this site, "With this overwhelming vote, the European Parliament is sending a strong signal to the European Commission and the Member States on the need to thoroughly improve the existing legislation in order to boost the fight against occupational cancers in Europe".

One substance, which construction workers as well as do-it-yourself enthusiasts are regularly exposed to, and which merits assessment according to a recent study, is mineral wool. Mineral wool insulation has been the subject of  health concerns for some years, with fears that it potentially causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, skin irritation and cancer. An new report has been published this year entitled Critical Choices in Predicting Stone Wool Biodurability: Lymsomal Fluid Compositions and Binder Effects.

The report appeared in Chemical Research and Toxicology and the authors are Ursula G Sauer, Kai Werle, Hubert Waindock, Sabine Hirth, Olivier Hachmoller and Wendel Wohlleben. The study confirms that the absence of the binder element had rendered previous studies misleading. It tested six mineral wool samples, which were representative of the products marketed to consumers, to show that the binder has actually a relevant effect on the testing. It found that commercial mineral wool was completely, but not necessarily uniformly, covered with binder. Removing the binder for testing accelerated the average dissolution rate by +104% to maximum + 273%, while its presence of the reduced dissolution rates. This adds to concerns that previous tests on mineral wool were misleading and did not fully reflect the dangers mineral wool could pose as the product was not tested as it is sold nor in the form that construction workers and homeowners actually encounter it. This refers to the lack of binders in previous testing.

The mineral wool industry maintains that there are no health risks associated with their product, with industry organization Eurima stating: “There is no evidence that exposure to mineral wool insulation causes chronic adverse effects. Peer-reviewed literature by the WHO and independent research conclude that there is no indication of a significant excess of respiratory symptoms or of a significant decrease in lung function reported for mineral wool workers.”

However, the 2021 study is clear that there has perhaps been a false sense of security around this insulation material and it seems likely parliamentarians will be taking a further look in order to understand the risks that European works and homeowners could be facing in order to protect them under the stricter European rules being developed.

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