In an article published online on December 12, 2022, in the journal Exposure and Health, Brij Mohan Sharma from the RECETOX, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia, and co-authors discuss India’s current approach to the management of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) with its strengths and limitations and propose improvement options.
The authors described evidence of the increasing presence of EDCs in consumer products and the environment in India along with increases in EDC-associated health effects such as incidences of diabetes and some cancers. The researchers highlight that India is currently drafting regulation, the Chemical (Management and Safety) Rules (CMSR), for managing chemicals in alignment with the EU’s REACH regulation. Due to the country’s large population any change would have an outsized effect on global chemicals management.
However, “several challenges [would] exist for India (and other rapidly industrializing developing countries) to lift EDC management and health protection to the state-of-the-art.” The authors pointed out that like other developing countries, India still faces several “basic” environmental and public health emergencies that are prioritized over EDC management. Moreover, they discussed that systematic biomonitoring data is lacking in the country, chemical regulations are fragmented, and capacities for risk analysis lacking.
Sharma and co-authors propose actions to improve EDC management in India. They argue that under the CMSR chemicals should be regulated based on EDC hazards in addition to persistence, bioaccumulative, and toxicity (PBT) or carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, and toxicity for reproduction (CMR) properties. They suggest EDCs should be monitored comprehensively and systematically for which capacity building and infrastructure development would be a prerequisite. And to reduce EDC exposure, the public should be made aware of the potential effects of EDCs and health-preserving consumption habits should be promoted.
The scientists also proposed that public-private partnerships should be considered as an option “for managing sectors that directly or indirectly contribute towards EDC pollution and exposure in India including waste management, green chemicals, organic farming, and food production.” To implement the ambitions, different sectors would need to work together including, policymakers, scientists, NGOs, and the private sector.
The authors concluded that “India hosts a large proportion of the global human population and biodiversity, [such that ] the success or failure of its actions will substantially affect the direction of global efforts to manage EDCs and set an example for other developing countries.”
On November 29, 2022, India’s Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals in conjunction with the Bureau of Indian Standards announced it was delaying quality control orders for three chemicals used in paints, coatings, and adhesives, including two used in food contact, due to inadequate staffing. The two chemicals known to be used in food contact applications according to FPF’s Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb) are methyl acrylate (CAS 96-33-3) and ethyl acrylate (CAS 140-88-5). However, other work continues. The Bureau of Indian Standards recently closed a comment period on revised standards for trisodium phosphate (CAS 7601-54-9), which is also known to be used in food contact according to the FCCDb.
End of August 2022, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) amended its national packaging legislation to add overall migration limits for antimony (CAS 7440-36-0) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (phthalic acid, DEHP, CAS 117-81-7) of 0.04 mg/kg of food and 1.5 mg/kg, respectively (FPF reported). In April of the same year, researchers assessed overall migration from polyethylene packaging into Dahi (Indian curd) and reported that only 1% of the 76 chemicals they identified in the extracts were included on the positive list for polyolefins developed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (FPF reported).
References
Sharma, B. M. et al. (2022). “Unlocking India’s Potential in Managing Endocrine‑Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs): Importance, Challenges, and Opportunities.” Exposure and Health. DOI: 10.1007/s12403-022-00519-8
Bureau of Indian Standards (October 2022). “Draft Indian Standard: Trisodium phosphate – specification.” (pdf).
Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (November 29, 2022). “Amendment order for QCO of Vinyl Acetate Monomer and Methyl Acrylate, Ethyl Acrylate.”
