Re: Sweden Acts: US stalls on endocrine disruptors

[Ferdinand.Engelbeen@ping.be (Ferdinand Engelbeen)]

Charly Cray send an article from BNA, dated April 29, about a voluntary ban
of all PVC production in Sweden, by Anna Lindh, Sweden's environment
minister.

We had several comments from a member of the Swedish workers unions, who
was directly involved in the PVC discussion.

Key comment: End of last year there was a meeting from different parties
about PVC and additives. All parties, being industry, workers unions, the
Swedish EPA, the Chemical Inspectorate and the scientists from Swedish
universities agreed that there was no reason for a ban or a phase-out of
any additive or PVC itself. Only Anna Lindh stayd behind Greenpeace's
proposal for a ban...

We don't know in how far the Swedish government and politicians will follow
Anna Lindh's position. We will see. But the Swedish PVC industry and the
workers there will certainly NOT agree with any voluntary ban on PVC
production, while there is no reason for that.

In any case the dioxin problem is not at all a PVC production problem in Sweden:

The only PVC factory in Sweden from Norsk Hydro at Stenungssund, had
following dioxin emissions from all production and waste incinerators
(1993-1994):

0.16 I-TEQ g/year to air
0.021 I-TEQ g/year to water

for a production of 162,000 tpa of DCE and 111,000 tpa VCM, both
intermediates for making PVC and other products.

The steel factories in Sweden where expected to emit 1.6-4 g N-TEQ dioxins
in 1994.

The municipal incinerators in Sweden emitted 5 g I-TEQ/year (last known figures)
If PVC is 0.5% of the waste, it counts for 0.025 g I-TEQ/year

We expect that Anna Lindh - consequently - now will ask for a voluntary
agreement of the Swedish steel industry for a phase-out of their
production. And will start a closing down of all Swedish incinerators.

About phtalates, we have given our comment already.

Ferdinand Engelbeen

Ferdinand.Engelbeen@ping.be

Sources:
PVC and the environment 96, Norsk Hydro, 1996.
Sources of dioxin emissions into the air in Western Europe, TNO, November 1994.

Note: N-TEQ are Nordic toxicity equivalents, the difference with the I-TEQ
is mainly that in N-TEQ the octo-dioxin/furan congeners are not counted at
all, while in I-TEQ they are counted for 0.001. This will give lower values
for N-TEQ.


>   Asked to comment on Sweden's action to phase out PVC
>production because of endocrine disruptor concerns, the working
>group member said that their goal is to look at the science, not
>the policy.
>
>   The group is looking at the science behind endocrine
>disruption as a key to understanding the issue, the member
>reiterated.  ...
>

Anna Lindh is looking at the politics, not the science...