COUNCIL OF EUROPE
COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
________
RESOLUTION AP (96) 2
ON PRESERVATIVE PRODUCTS
FOR USES OTHER THAN ON WOOD
(Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 2 October 1996
at the 574th meeting of the Ministers' Deputies)
The Representatives on the Committee of Ministers of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, these states being parties to the Partial Agreement in the social and public health field, and the Representatives of Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, states which have participated in the public health activities carried out within the above-mentioned Partial Agreement since 1 October 1974, 2 April 1968, 20 June 1991, 23 September 1969, 21 April 1988 and 5 May 1964 respectively,
Considering that the aim of the Council of Europe is to achieve a greater unity between its members and that this aim may be pursued by common action in the social and the public health field;
Having regard to the provisions of the Brussels Treaty, signed on 17 March 1948, by virtue of which Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland declared themselves resolved to strengthen the social ties by which they were already united;
Having regard to the protocol modifying and completing the Brussels Treaty, signed on 23 October 1954 by the signatory states of the Brussels Treaty, on the one hand, and the Federal Republic of Germany and Italy, on the other hand;
Observing that the seven states parties to the Partial Agreement which have continued within the Council of Europe the social work hitherto undertaken by the Brussels Treaty Organisation and then by the Western European Union, which derived from the Brussels Treaty as modified by the protocol mentioned in the fourth paragraph above, as well as Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, which participate in Partial Agreement activities in the field of public health, have always endeavoured to be in the forefront of progress in social matters and also in the associated field of public health, and have for many years undertaken action towards harmonisation of their legislation;
Noting:
a. that preservatives are active substances and preparations containing one or more active substances used to preserve aqueous industrial processes or products from unwanted organisms, for example bacteria, fungi, algae;
b. that the effects of unwanted organisms may be of a very different nature, such as premature disintegration of biological materials, slime formation, corrosive processes or disagreeable smell;
c. the widespread use of chemical preservatives for the control of unwanted organisms in:
- cooling and water-based processes such as: cooling water preservation; boiler water preservation; paper mill process preservation; metal-working fluid preservation; drilling and oil recovery preservation;
- products such as: in-can preservation; film preservation; fibre, leather and rubber preservation;
construction materials preservation;
d. that the active ingredients or their formulations available for preservation differ greatly in toxicity, intended uses and methods of application;
e. that the application of preservatives is mostly executed by professionals;
Considering:
a. the potential risk, including to human beings, during the production and application phase of preservatives;
b. the potential risk of these preservatives to the environment, including wildlife, especially if the preservatives enter the environment directly or through waste-water treatment plants;
c. the diversity of existing regulations in member states concerning preservatives,
Recommend to the governments of the seven states parties to the Partial Agreement, as well as to those of Austria, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, that they take into account in their national laws and regulations on preservative products for uses other than on wood, the principles and measures set out hereafter:
1. Chemical preservatives should be used only if there are no other suitable means of preservation, such as physical measures, for example drying, cold, heat, irradiation, concentrating or aseptic packaging.
2. Chemical preservatives should be authorised and registered before marketing.
3. The authorisation procedure should ensure that preservatives, when properly used for the purpose intended:
- are sufficiently effective;
- contain the minimum amount of active substances required for the intended application.
4. The authorisation procedure should include a full-scale hazard and risk assessment. The assessment should particularly take into consideration:
- human exposure during the production and application phase of preservatives;
- the risk to micro-organisms in sewage-treatment plants including the accumulation of sludge;
- the risk to aquatic organisms;
- the risk from disposal of used and surplus preservatives.
5. In the light of current scientific and technical knowledge, preservatives should have no harmful effect on human beings and no unacceptable adverse effect on the environment:
- for example almost no - or only insignificant - acute and long-term toxicity on non-target organisms, ready degradability and low accumulation potential.
6. Preservatives should not be used in drinking water systems and should not come into contact with food items.
7. The use of preservatives by professionals should comply with requirements on health and safety at work:
- the conditions for professional use of preservatives should be suitably controlled and the health of workers regularly monitored;
- professional users should have received adequate training and qualification in the effective and safe use of preservatives.
8. Only preservatives correlating with class III of the classification system in chapter IX of the 7th edition of the Council of Europe booklet Pesticides should be used for consumer products and for the preservation of materials, as set out in the Council of Europe Guidelines for the evaluation of pesticides used for the control of public hygiene pests. This excludes products which might involve mutagenic or carcinogenic risk or risks to the reproductive system, including teratogens.
9. Consumer products, such as fibre, leather and rubber treated with preservatives, should be labelled with the chemical name and the content of the active ingredient(s), if appropriate.
10. Preservatives should be subject to the classification, packaging and labelling rules in force for chemical substances and/or for pesticides/biocides for agricultural and non-agricultural use.
11. Preservatives should bear labels specifying the method of use, precautions to be taken and the method of disposal.
12. Used and surplus preservatives declared as hazardous waste have to be disposed of in such a way as to avoid contamination of water, soil and air.
13. The competent authorities should be notified of the health and environmental effects of preservatives.
References:
Council of Europe, Pesticides, 7th edition, 1992, ISBN 92-871-1958-9.
Council of Europe, Guidelines for the evaluation of pesticides used for the control of public hygiene pests, 1994, ISBN 92-871-2356-X.