Dangerous substances: marketing and use of pentaBDE in polyurethane foam (24th amend. Directive 76/769/EEC)

The committee adopted the report by Frédérique RIES (ELDR, B) amending the Council's common position (codecision procedure, 2nd reading). The committee decided to reinstate, wholly or in part, four amendments adopted by Parliament at 1st reading which had been rejected by Council. It wanted the scope of the directive to be extended to cover octaBDE, arguing that, although the risk assessment for this substance was officially not yet complete, the results so far had revealed definite risks for human health and the environment. MEPs said that, in application of the precautionary principle, octaBDE should be banned immediately without waiting for final validation of the study. They also wanted a deferred ban on decaBDE applicable no later than 1 January 2006, unless the final results of the risk assessment currently in progress showed that this substance gave no cause for concern.�