- Data from June 2010, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.
Eurostat is working on statistics on hazardous substances since the mid-1990s when some Environmental Pressure Indicators (EPI) related to chemicals were developed.
Eurostat has recently, in collaboration with the services responsible for environment and for industry of the European Commission published a baseline study, providing a set of indicators to monitor the effectiveness of the new European Union Regulation on the 'Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals' (REACH). Read the dedicated article in Statistics Explained.
Another priority of Eurostat is the development of indicators describing the production trend of chemicals which are toxic to human health and/or harmful to the environment.
These indicators are used to measure progress towards the headline objective for ‘public health’ established in the EU - Sustainable Development Strategy and the objective ‘to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment’ in the 6th EU Environment Action Programme.
This article explains two indicators developed and maintained by Eurostat: ‘Production of toxic chemicals’ and ‘Production of environmentally harmful chemicals’
Main statistical findings
Production of environmentally harmful chemicals
Graph 2 presents the aggregated production volumes of environmentally harmful chemicals, divided into five 'impact' classes.
The most harmful ones are the ‘severe chronic’ followed by ‘significant chronic’, ‘moderate chronic’, ‘chronic’ and ‘significant acute’ chemicals. The indicator monitors progress in shifting production from the most environmentally harmful to less harmful chemicals.The environmental indicator focuses on impacts to aquatic toxicity. It seeks to take into account the inherent eco-toxicity of the chemical substances, their potential for bioaccumulation and their persistence in the environment. For this purpose, substance specific data on ecotoxicity, biodegradability and bioaccumulation potential have been used. It is mainly based on the official environmental classification of the substances. Certain R-phrases related to chronic human toxicity are also included.
Production of toxic chemicals
Graph 3 presents the trend in aggregated production volumes of toxic chemicals, broken down into five ‘toxicity classes’. The most dangerous ones are the CMR chemicals (‘carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic’), followed by chemicals classified as ‘chronic toxic’, ‘very toxic’, ‘toxic’, and ‘harmful’.)
The indicator monitors progress in shifting production from the most toxic to less toxic chemicals. The production of toxic chemicals (all five classes) increased by 6.9 % between 2002 and 2007 to the highest value of 218 million tonnes and then fell by 7.8 % in 2008 in the EU‑27. The overall share of the volume of chemicals classified as toxic in the EU‑27 total chemical production was 60 % in 2008 and 58.5 % in the EU‑15. The absolute production volume of Carcinogenic, Mutagenic and Reprotoxic (CMR) chemicals fell by 3 million tonnes (-8.6 %) between 2002 and 2008. The share of these chemicals in total production fell slightly from 10.6 % in 2002 to 9.5 % in 2008 in the EU‑27. In the ‘old’ Member States (EU‑15) the absolute production volume of CMRs has in 2008 gone down to the level of 1995. The chemical industry in countries from the 12 new Member States produced, in 2008, with 49 million tonnes, 14.6 % of the industrial chemicals, but 16.4 % of the toxic chemicals in the EU‑27. The growth of toxic chemicals production is following the trend of the total chemical production. Currently, there is little indication that the share of toxic chemicals is being significantly reduced or decoupled from growth in the chemical industry. The coming years will show if the trend towards a relative decoupling of toxic chemicals production from the growth of total output and Gross Domestic Product can be confirmed.
Data sources and availability
Eurostat has developed a production index of toxic chemicals, broken down into five toxicity classes. The indicator presents the trend in aggregated production volumes of chemicals which have been classified as toxic substances according to EU legislation.
This indicator monitors progress in shifting production from the most toxic chemicals to less toxic classes and addresses an important objective of REACH: to reduce risks by substitution of hazardous by less hazardous substances. The indicator does not provide information on the risk from the use of chemicals; production and consumption are not synonymous with exposure, as some chemicals are handled in closed systems, or as intermediates in controlled supply chains. The toxicity classes, beginning with the most dangerous, are:
- carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR) chemicals;
- chronic toxic chemicals;
- very toxic chemicals;
- toxic chemicals;
- chemicals classified as harmful.
The indicator is also published as a sustainable development indicator within the theme of public health.
Production volumes are extracted from PRODCOM (statistics on the production of manufactured goods) and are aggregated to the five classes according to their toxicity. EU-15 data cover the years from 1995 to 2007 while EU-25 data are available for the years 2004 to 2007.
Context
The Sixth Environment Action Programme 2002-2012 (sixth EAP) requires a complete overhaul of EU policies on chemicals management, of which REACH is a part. The major objective of REACH is to ensure a high level of protection for human health and the environment. This includes promoting alternative methods to assess the hazards of substances, the free circulation of substances on the internal market, and the enhancement of competitiveness and innovation in the EU chemical industry.
By increasing knowledge about the hazardous properties of chemicals, REACH is expected to enhance the communication and implementation of conditions of safe use in supply chains and the substitution of dangerous substances by less dangerous ones. Through different types of measures, REACH should lead to less risks to human health and the environment.
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- The REACH baseline study – A tool to monitor the new EU policy on chemicals - Statistics in focus 48/2009
- The REACH baseline study - A methodology to set the baseline for REACH and monitor its implementation, June 2009
Main tables
- Indicators
- Public health
- Sub-theme: DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH
- 9. Index of production of toxic chemicals, by toxicity class (QP)
- Public health
External links
- European Chemicals Agency - ECHA
- European Commission - Enterprise and Industry - REACH
- European Commission 6th Environment Action Programme