In adopting the report by Mrs Marjatta STENIUS-KAUKONEN (GUE/NGL, FIN), Parliament
approved the proposal for amending the directive with the following amendments:
- it asked the Commission to find solutions for simplifying the setting of limit values for
carcinogens, particularly those for which limit values based purely on health grounds have already
been obtained from scientific evidence and reliable studies; limit values should be set as quickly as
possible for all the substances listed as class 1 and 2 carcinogens in Annex VI to Directive
67/548/EEC;
- expressing concern about the carcinogenic effects of arsenic and its compounds, Parliament thought
they should be added to the priority list of substances for scientific evaluation so limit values could
be set as soon as possible;
- on the definition of 'limit value' under the directive, Parliament thought this was a compulsory
value that could not be exceeded; consequently all derogations envisaged by the Commission,
concerning sites and sectors of activity (service stations, garages, etc.) have been deleted.
Parliament also defined a worker's 'breathing zone': 'the space from where he takes his breath' and
where the carcinogen might be found;
- drawing attention to the importance of setting biological limit values for carcinogenic agents, to
assess the degree of absorption by means other than breathing; Parliament defined it as the limit of
concentration in the appropriate biological medium;
- considering that the limit value of concentration of benzene in the air proposed by the Commission
(1 ppm over an average period of eight hours) was a compromise between protection of workers and
technical constraints, Parliament retained the limit value for benzene proposed by the Commission:
a reducing it to 0.1 ppm by 31 December 2000. It also asked for a uniform measuring system for
determining the limit value for benzene in the air and that companies that have carcinogens present
at the work place prove that they regularly inform workers of the risks of exposure.
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