France Intensifies Battle Against Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals
The French Ministry for the Ecological and Solidary Transition (Ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire) and the Ministry for Solidarity and Health (Ministère des Solidarités et de la Santé) have published a strategy paper (French only) against endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC).
The authors define three areas of action:
- To provide the public with more-comprehensive information on the topic than it has ever receivedpreviously: One of the measures that France plans is to create a list of EDCs that it will share with the EU Commission and other member states. Because pregnant women and children are particularly at risk, the French health agency, Santé Publique France, created a new Web site, Agir pour bébé. Parents can visit the site to find suggestions for how to minimize exposure to chemicals.
- To protect the public and the environmentbetter: France has appealed to the EU to supplement the regulations on cosmetics and toys in terms of EDCs. Its data portal also provides more information on exposure to EDCs.
- To enhance research into the health effects ofEDCs: The French health agency published a study on the spread of EDCs at the beginning of September. Some 1,100 children and 2,500 adults took part in the study. The researchers found endocrine-disrupting substances, including bisphenol derivates A, F, and S; phthalates; parabens; and glycol ethers, in all study participants.
The EU summarized its strategy at the beginning of November 2018.
If you have any questions about EDCs, please contact us at reach@kft.de.
