endocrine-disruptors-criteria

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) criticizes the European Commission's June 2016 draft legal acts for Plant Protection Products and Biocidal Products Regulations. CIEL argues the proposed criteria for identifying endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are too restrictive because they only include substances 'known to' cause adverse effects, excluding 'presumed' and 'suspected' EDCs. The document claims this high burden of proof, potentially influenced by industry lobbying and US trade concerns, fails the precautionary principle and could exclude hundreds of harmful chemicals. CIEL specifically opposes the 'negligible risk' allowance in the Plant Protection Products Regulation, advocating instead for a hazard-based approach similar to that used for carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction (CMR) substances.

• The European Commission's draft criteria for identifying endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are criticized for excluding 'presumed' and 'suspected' EDCs, focusing only on those proven to have adverse effects on humans.
• CIEL argues that the proposed criteria fail to comply with the precautionary principle and lower protection levels by limiting the scientific evidence considered.
• The proposed Plant Protection Products Regulation is criticized for potentially allowing EDCs under a 'negligible risk' clause, which CIEL claims would widen current derogations and permit uncontrolled exposure.
• Industry pressure and US government concerns regarding trade barriers, specifically the TTIP agreement, are cited as factors that may have contributed to a 30-month delay in the EU's submission of the criteria.

APA

Alfonso, A. (2016). endocrine-disruptors-criteria. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/endocrine-disruptors-criteria/

Chicago

Alfonso, Alyssa. endocrine-disruptors-criteria. Center for International Environmental Law, 2016. https://www.ciel.org/endocrine-disruptors-criteria/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Alfonso |first1=Alyssa |title=endocrine-disruptors-criteria |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=22 July 2016 |url=https://www.ciel.org/endocrine-disruptors-criteria/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{alfonso2016endocrinedisruptorscriteria, author = {Alfonso, Alyssa}, title = {{endocrine-disruptors-criteria}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2016}, month = jul, url = {https://www.ciel.org/endocrine-disruptors-criteria/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }