Together we can make a difference
In 2017, despite significant evidence of its danger, the EU re-authorised the license of the world's most-used herbicide, Glyphosate, for another 5 years. It also approved, after years of delay, a set of criteria aimed at identifying chemical substances with endocrine disrupting properties (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - EDCs); however, these criteria have been criticised as 'too lax' by medical associations and health & environmental protection advocacy groups, who claim the result of the criteria entering into effect will be that of allowing the vast majority of these hazardous substances to remain in circulation, thus of not guaranteeing adequate protection of public health and the environment.
Ahead of the decision, PAN-E had published a report on Endocrine Disrupting Pesticides (EDPs) in EU food, in an effort to inform EU regulators and the public about the hazardousness of these substances, and to influence EU policy toward the highest possible level of protection of human health and the environment.
So how could these decisions have taken place?
Whether we will be exposed to toxic chemicals or not is clearly an issue of public concern. At the end of September 2014, the European Commission launched a public consultation to decide whether hormone disrupting pesticides (chemicals with Endocrine Disrupting properties) will be allowed on our food.
The members of the EDC-free coalition, including PAN Europe, launched a platform tool which concerned citizens could use to respond to the "highly technical" public consultation. The consultation ended in January 2015. We were very happy that more than 20,000 people responded to the consultation using our platform tool. This also shows that people are indeed very concerned about exposure to these chemicals that we are subjected to in our daily lives.
The European Commission is currently reviewing more than 27,000 responses they received.
Thank you everyone for your participation and support. Together we can make a difference.
Use this platform tool, and tell the EU regulators to remove hormone disrupting chemicals from our daily lives and food!
