UPDATE 4 October: We won! The European Parliament (EP) just rejected the Commission's weak proposal on endocrine disruptors! The EP said the Commission exceeded its mandate by proposing to exempt some substances. Now, the European Commission will have to draft a new version of the text, taking into account Parliament’s input!
Hundreds of thousands of SumOfUs members helped secure this important win for public health over chemical industry profits. The battle continues against giants including Monsanto, Bayer, BASF and Co. -- but we've proven once again what we and our partners can achieve together. ✊
Monsanto, Bayer, and BASF are about to score a major win by keeping toxic endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that poison our health off the radar.
Recently, a majority of EU member countries accepted a European Commission legislative proposal on EDCs that would leave us vulnerable to these toxic substances -- especially children and pregnant women most susceptible to EDCs.
Experts are slamming the proposal, which sets criteria for which chemicals get classified as EDCs. They say it sets the burden of proof of harm so high that most of these harmful chemicals will go unregulated.
Even more, this dangerous text is now in danger of becoming law throughout the EU.
But it’s not over yet. The Commission’s proposal must now be approved by the European Parliament on 4 October, which means there’s still time for our voices to be heard.
Call on MEPs to block the European Commission’s proposal to identify EDCs that leaves us vulnerable to unregulated chemicals.
EDC’s are linked to hormone-related cancers, birth defects, and other serious developmental disorders.
Besides requiring a level of proof to identify a chemical as an EDC that is way too high, the text proposed by the European Commission also foresees unacceptable exemptions. Moreover, it is limited to endocrine disruptors in pesticides and biocides, while these toxic substances hide everywhere –- from our cosmetics and food packaging, to medical devices used in hospitals.
Nearly half a million SumOfUs members and supporters of the EDC-Free Europe coalition have been standing up to the dangerous EU commission proposal on regulating these chemicals already.
It’s time to channel that same energy and remind MEPs from all over Europe that they should put the health and voices of citizens like you before the interests of Bayer and Monsanto lobbyists.
Call on the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to listen to the facts and reject the Commission’s dangerous proposal for endocrine disrupters.
While companies like Monsanto make money off of them, EDCs cost society an estimated 163 billion euros per year in Europe.
But the agrochemical industry is trying to drown out the voices of concerned scientists, public health experts and citizens, with an army of lobbyists in Brussels.
SumOfUs and EDC-Free Europe coalition members have already achieved major victories in the fight against toxic products in Europe. Because we keep coming together to take action, the renewal of toxic pesticides like glyphosate keeps being postponed.
Now, it’s time to pool our efforts once again to remind MEPs to put public health before the profits of Monsanto and Bayer.
We don’t have a moment to lose -- the decisive vote will be held in Parliament in just a couple of weeks!
Tell our MEPs to prioritise citizens’ voices over corporate interests and to protect us all from the real dangers of endocrine disruptors.
More information
Endocrine Society, European Society of Endocrinology, , European Society of Paediatric Endocrinology. 11 July 2017.
EDC Free coalition. 1 January 2016.
American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology. 4 July 2016.
Euractiv. 5 July 2017.