The Swedish Minister for the Environment, Lena Ek, wants to prioritize endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) together with climate change. In an interview with EurActiv published March 28, 2013 she stated that if the European Union (EU) was not going to advance quicker on the phase out of EDCs, Sweden may do so on its own.

Based on the work of the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) and Swedish scientists such as Åke Bergman, she estimates scientific evidence for many EDCs to be solid. While she talked about the ban of bisphenol A (BPA) from cash receipts and public drinking water systems during the interview, she said that the general focus should lie on all chemicals identified as EDCs. The minister expressed concern regarding the different approaches towards EDCs used by ECHA and by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and criticized the slow advances made in the EU.

Recently, the European Commission published an expert report on EDCs, which was preceded by the publication of a Scientific Opinion on EDCs by European Food and Safety Authority (EFSA).

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EurActiv (full interview)

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