Classification of crystalline silica (quartz) as a carcinogen — limit value of 0.1 mg/m3
22.12.2016
Question for written answer E-009719-16
to the Commission
Rule 130
Paul Rübig (PPE)
Crystalline silica is a natural mineral and an essential raw material for glass, ceramics, foundry processes, dyes and plastics. Quartz is also contained in raw materials for construction work and in construction products, for example concrete, asphalt and backfill material.
In the Agreement on Workers’ Health Protection Through the Good Handling and Use of Crystalline Silica and Products Containing It (NEPSI), numerous social partners in various industries in the EU have committed themselves since 2006 to minimise exposure to quartz dust at work, and they have reported annually on its implementation.
The proposal to revise the directive on carcinogens contains a limit value of 0.1 mg/m3 for respirable crystalline silica dust, which, according to the impact assessment, is expected to save 99 000 lives by 2069. Austria, applying a limit value of 0.15 mg/m3 for respirable crystalline silica dust, had precisely one case of lung cancer between 2011 and 2015, which could not be attributed to silicosis.
According to the impact assessment, the proposed limit value will particularly affect SMEs with one to nine employees in the building trade. Compliance with it will require additional investments totalling around EUR 3.5 billion. The impact assessment suggests that undertakings will go out of business, but does not assess the impact on the employment situation in individual countries.
Why does the proposal for a directive on carcinogens include a limit value for quartz despite the fact that an agreement on the subject has been reached through social dialogue and has proven its value over the past 10 years?
— In view of Austria’s statistics, how have the estimates of the number of deaths that can be averted been calculated?— Why does the impact assessment not consider the impact on employment of classifying quartz as a carcinogen?