The project group has prepared a list covering 120 of the most problematic substances/substance groups. The list follows chemical systematics, and for each substance/substance group environmental or health effects are stated along with the products in which the chemicals are found. In the selection of substances and substance groups, the project group has in particular focused on whether the substances appear on the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s list of undesired substances (LOUS) or whether they have been identified in the municipality’s own work (for example, if they constitute a problem in the wastewater treatment plant). The list has been supplemented with regard to deficiencies in relation to environmental and health effects or the presence in products or waste. It should be noted that a large number of substances exist for which the negative effects have not been surveyed today. The list does not cover the large number of hazardous substances that are used in small amounts.
Effect-oriented effort or classification according to products? The 120 list is a good starting point for an effort directed at the effects caused by the substances. But if the effort is to be directed at selected effects, such as endocrine disruption, the list is not exhaustive. Certain effects, such as endocrine disruption or cancer, may be caused by thousands of different substances, and particularly for endocrine disruption in the environment they are often caused by extremely low substance concentrations.
Further effort and proposed criteria for choice of areas for effort
Due to the large number of problematic substances, the project group recommends that in the work of developing a chemicals plan other and more tools should be identified than those that can be directed specifically at the 120 substances on the list. The project group has carried out a simplified prioritisation among the 120 substances, since it seems difficult to screen off significant problems and since a prioritisation must be based on consensus at several levels. The project group has used the following practically based criteria:
- Is the substance mentioned in three or more sources in the outline? Some substances have only been mentioned in one source, for example Ospar, while other substances have been mentioned in up to eight sources.
- Is the substance known in general, so that an effort seems expedient? LOUS covers several substances that are difficult to manage in the light of our existing knowledge about the substance.
- Is a grouping of the substances an advantage, such as phthalates, brominated flame retardants and pesticides?
- Has the municipality, in an immediate view, special prerequisites for making an effort? For example, acryl amide should not be used in public construction works.
- Certain special substances may be deleted from the list, for example because they have a very special application, such as mercaptan as odour substance in urban gas.
- Certain substances are being regulated in new national or international rules, and in future they will only be found in waste.
The last criterion is an example of the fact that things progress. Therefore, the chemicals efforts in the municipalities should comprise continuous updating of the problem outline. |
