Samples and research from 13,000 people from 28 countries have already been studied and found that "a large part of the population may suffer from dangerous substances that can cause serious illness". For example, samples from 92% of the adult population found bisphenol A, a toxic endocrine that can cause reproductive problems.

For three years the Community institutions have therefore put in place a major plan to eliminate or reduce the toxicity of products consumed in Europe. For example, 7,000 to 12,000 dangerous substances were expected to be banned.

However, according to a leak released by The Guardian this week, the chemical industry is putting heavy pressure on the European Union and the reduction in legislation would be much lower than expected. The filtered report concerns the EU’s Reach Regulation on chemicals, which is due to be launched by the end of the year.

According to the draft, many of these chemicals that are consumed cause cancer, asthma, obesity and many other diseases, and if banned, among others, they would save between EUR 11 billion and EUR 3 billion a year in their treatments. Reducing these chemicals would also entail adjustment costs for chemical companies, but far below what was spent on combating diseases: Between EUR 900 and EUR 2.7 billion per year.

Three years ago, European Commission Executive President Frans Timmermans promised that dangerous substances would be banned in consumer products. Now, this report shows that the ban can only affect 50% of toxic products. According to Dr. Marike Kolossa-Gehring, 34 million tonnes of carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic substances were consumed in Europe in 2020.

The chemical industry and the European People’s Party (PPA) have strongly lobbied the European Commission, resulting in the division between the two Commission departments: The Environment Directorate-General has pressed for strong measures and the Internal Market Directorate-General has stopped cuts.

Last September EAP proposed for the first time a "regulatory moratorium to delay actions that unnecessarily increase costs for companies". At the same time, the German chemical giant BASF announced a reduction in the workforce in Europe that had to do with "excessive regulation".

According to the German association VCI, the proposal to permanently ban chemicals would have "harmful" effects on German industry: "With each of these banned substances in the EU, the risk of our industries migrating to less regulated regions increases." Last year the IVC donated over EUR 150,000 to the Democratic Christian Union of Germany and to the Christian Social Union, both members of the EAP.