EC report calls for action on "chemical cocktails"

DG Environment (EC) commissioned a report on "chemical cocktails," this report details the findings of a project on mixture toxicology and ecotoxicology. It describes the scientific developments in the field, and gives an account of the regulatory dealing with combined exposures in the European Union, in major competing economies, including the USA and Japan and in international bodies. The report argues that there is a sufficient capacity to assess risks to human health and the environment resulting from combined exposure to multiple chemicals.

The study was conducted by the University of London School of Pharmacy. The study found that identifying risks in chemical mixtures is essential to avoid underestimations of risks.

The study additionally argued that EU guidelines would be beneficial, as there is no official regulation at the moment. Current mixture guidelines from the United States Environment Protection Agency or the World Health Organization are limited to the assessment of potential human health risks from chemical mixtures.

The European Commission acknowledges that the number of chemical combinations is "potentially enormous and it is neither realistic nor useful to test every possible combination". The report notes that more information is needed on "typical exposure situations with respect to chemical mixtures," to find out which priority mixtures are present in the environment and might have an impact on human health and ecosystems. Better understanding of what makes chemicals react in relation to one another is also necessary, it concludes.

The report was welcomed by The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) who encourages other stakeholders to give their input to the Commission to help it develop its official position. "We have been highlighting the link between a combination of effects from synthetic hormone disruptors and breast cancer for several years," said Lisette van Vliet, toxics policy adviser at HEAL.

Next Steps

30 April 2010: Deadline for stakeholder comments on the study.