Baby milk scare shows urgent need for strong REACH.Lack of
safety data on milk contaminant typical of gaps in chemicals
safeguards
Brussels, 23 November 2005 -- The proposed reform of EU chemicals
policy (REACH) could prevent potential threats to infant health
such as the contamination of baby milk products revealed on
Tuesday, but will fail to do so unless it is strengthened, health
and environment organisations said today.
Italian authorities reportedly seized two million litres of Nestlé
baby milk products on Tuesday after tests showed that chemicals
used in the labels were seeping through the cartons into the milk.
The milk was produced in Spain and sold in France, Italy, Spain and
Portugal. The contaminant, isopropylthioxanthone (ITX), is an ink
component used in the printing of food carton labels. Greenpeace
research has found two producers of ITX in the EU, both in the UK.
The packaging was manufactured by Swedish-owned Tetra-Pak in the
Netherlands, according to news reports.
Very little information is available about the safety of ITX, which
is a chemical produced in quantities below 1,000 tonnes. ITX is
commonly a mixture of two isomers to which the US Environment
Protection Agency (EPA) has given a high hazard ranking for
environmental effects, based on their toxicity to aquatic species.
A US report of 1999 noted a case in which six workers exposed to
ITX developed skin rashes on the head and neck following exposure
to the sun. Industry has not yet provided clear, verifiable
information on the health effects of ITX, especially if it is
consumed as a contaminant in foodstuffs.
It is a scandal that an industrial chemical can find its way into
baby milk yet there is no available information about its health
impacts, but this is typical of over 90% of chemicals sold in
Europe and permitted for widespread use, said Nadia Haiama of
Greenpeace. It is even more shocking that instead of calling for a
strengthened chemicals regime, the European Commission led by
Industry Commission Günter Verheugen is using every opportunity to
reduce its force, in an attempt to please the German chemicals
industry.
Europe can only expect more chemical health scares if governments
refuse to take the greater health and environment concerns of the
public into account. It will be a sad day for Europe if governments
vote for chemicals industry profits at the expense of the peoples
health, particularly vulnerable groups like babies, and
environment, said Genon K Jensen, Strategic Director, European
Public Health Alliance Environment Network.
This article was published on Wednesday 23rd November 2005.