Chemicals

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is working in several ways with issues concerning chemicals. All of our work is intended to achieve the environmental quality objective of 'A non-toxic environment'. The goal is for the environment to be free from man-made or extracted compounds and metals that represent a threat to human health or biological diversity.

The primary responsibility of the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is to reduce the environmental impact associated with the use and distribution of chemicals and chemical products, as well as the discharge of unintentionally produced or extracted compounds. The Swedish Chemical Agency is the central supervisory authority for the control of chemicals in Sweden. We work closely with the Swedish Chemicals Agency, also responsible for the environmental quality objective of 'A non-toxic environment'.

Non-toxic and resource-efficient ecocycles

In order to achieve the environmental quality objectives, authorities work with so-called action strategies. One of these strategies is referred to as ”Non-toxic and resource-efficient ecocycles” which is to co-ordinate activities concerning waste, chemicals and products. A fundamental part of this strategy is that measures must be taken that consider the total environmental impact which materials and substances have throughout the life-cycle of products. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has been commissioned by the Swedish government to develop this strategy which is an important instrument for achieving the environmental quality objective 'A non-toxic environment'.

Environmental monitoring and quality standards

Sweden has a comparatively well-developed system for monitoring, regulating and documenting the state of its environment. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for monitoring national environmental toxins. We co-ordinate monitoring within Sweden and also contribute to regional monitoring. The goal of this work is to monitor the state of the environment, for example with regard to changes over time in the concentration of environmental contaminants, and the possible causes of these concentrations and their environmental impact.  We also study differences in various parts of the country.

Apart from environmental monitoring of the state of the environment we also monitor the environmental impact of chemical discharge and the unintentional production of various compounds.  The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency develops proposals for environmental quality standards based upon environmental impact. International environmental cooperation includes demands to monitor the state of the environment, and since Sweden entered the EU the demands on Sweden to monitor in certain areas have become more stringent.

Chemicals and water management

The EU framework directive on water has been incorporated into Swedish law through the ordinance regulating the quality of water environments. Thus the prerequisites have been changed regarding work to reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals in waters. The objective of the directive is to achieve a good surface water status in all waters by the year 2015, and includes both the chemical and ecological status.

In order to achieve a good chemical status, none of the environmental quality standards set by the regional water authorities are to be exceeded. If water authorities judge that there is a risk that a standard cannot be achieved by 2015, then they must propose measures intended to achieve the standard. These will then be included in the activities programme which is developed for the district and which is summarised in the management plan. Activities programmes are directed toward other authorities who in their exercise of public authority are responsible for the achievement of these standards.

In 2007 a proposal for a daughter directive is being negotiated in the European Council and Parliament about the environmental quality standards for 33 priority compounds and eight other contaminating compounds. These standards will then be incorporated into Swedish law.

The new EU chemicals legislation - REACH

The new EU chemicals legislation, REACH, will enable many of the shortcomings in the handling of chemicals to be remedied. Companies will be given more explicit responsibility for investigating the environmental and health hazards of their chemical substances. Companies will assess the risks and account for how their substances can be handled safely. Substances which are especially hazardous will not be allowed without a permit. Exactly what role the various authorities will have in implementing the various parts of REACH is not yet clear. REACH took effect on the 1 June 2007.

Granting permits

Swedish environmental legislation also places demands on the handling of chemicals. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency participates as an expert authority or as a party in the assessment of permit applications in accordance with the Swedish Environmental Code. The general rules of consideration stipulated in the Swedish Environmental Code are decisive in the assessment of these permit applications with regard to the extent to which demands can be placed upon an operator.

In several permit applications in the forest, chemical and automotive industries, we have been a driving force in developments to see to it that operators have sufficient knowledge about the chemicals used and their handling. This knowledge is needed in order for the operators to be able to assess the risk of using various chemicals. This knowledge is also a prerequisite for companies' and authorities' ability to work with the product choice principle and to fulfil the precautionary principle of the Environmental Code.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is also the decision-making authority in certain chemical commissions such as exemptions from recommended use of ozone-degrading substances.

Supervision and guidance

The supervision of chemicals is an important part of the supervision of environmentally hazardous operations. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency supervises the handling of chemicals where no other central authority supervises in accordance with the ordinance on supervision in the Swedish Environmental Code (1998:900). We are also the supervising authority in waste-related issues. Chemicals and unintentionally produced substances in waste can make the recycling and disposal of waste difficult.

Remediation of contaminated areas

Chemicals and unintentionally produced substances can contaminate land and water. The number of potentially contaminated areas in Sweden is estimated to be approximately 83,000, approximately a fifth of which are considered to be at high or very high risk of presenting a hazard to human health or the environment. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency is the central authority that co-ordinates remedial work within the country and subsidizes measures where there is no responsible party.

Information to the public on discharges

A new EU regulation with demands to establish an EU-wide list of contaminating discharges took effect in 2006. The purpose of the list is to improve public access to information about contamination in the European Union. The list will be made accessible to the public via the Internet.

Sweden has undertaken through the Aarhus Convention to provide a national list of discharges. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency has established a list of chemical discharges (Swedish acronym: KUR). KUR is a list of chemical discharges from major operations, and is a part of our work to provide the public with access to information on national discharges.

Our global work with chemicals – conventions

Water and airborne contaminants can be transported over great geographical distances, and discharges and emissions in one land can have an impact on the environment in other countries. Various forms of international environmental co-operation are thus a necessity. The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency works with international conventions and agreements and participates in Sweden's cooperative development in the environmental field. We participate in various work groups for conventions and at major international meetings, where we discuss the development and implementation of the conventions.

Our global work with chemicals – cooperative development

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency participates in environmental work within the framework for Swedish development aid and Swedish global development policy. Our international projects are based on the assistance requested by the countries with which cooperate. We work especially to provide support to countries with regard to the development of environmental legislation, the organisation of environmental work in efficient authorities, and compliance with international environmental agreements. Chemical issues and environmental demands on industries that are environmentally disturbing are some of several areas with which we work. In this context we also co-operate with the Swedish Chemical Agency.

Contact: Maria Nyholm
E-mail: maria.nyholm(a)naturvardsverket.se