Illnesses at work: EU improves protection from toxic chemicals at work

Workers should be better protected from substances that occur, for example, in battery production for electric vehicles.

Luxembourg. Employees in the EU should be better protected from harmful chemicals in the future. The EU states have finally given the green light for stricter limit values ​​for several substances that can cause cancer or asthma. These substances are found, among other things, in batteries for electric vehicles or are created during steel production. The new rules are intended to prevent around 1,700 cases of lung cancer and 19,000 other diseases over the next 40 years.

The limit values ​​determine the maximum exposure workers can have to these substances over the course of eight hours. In the future, two values ​​will apply to cobalt and its inorganic compounds: 0.01 milligrams per cubic meter for particles that are inhaled through the nose and mouth, and 0.0025 milligrams per cubic meter for finer particles that can reach deeper into the lungs.

Used in batteries for electric cars

According to the EU Commission, the substances are often used in the production of batteries, especially for electric vehicles. They are also used in the production of magnets and hard metals. The industry has six years to adapt, and higher limits apply during this transition period.

According to the Federal Environment Agency, cobalt is classified as toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic in high concentrations. According to the EU Commission, 113,000 workers in the EU are exposed to the metal and its inorganic compounds.

New limits introduced

The revision also introduces long-term limits for isoprene, which is used in the chemical industry. Isoprene meets the criteria for a carcinogen, i.e. a substance that can promote the development of cancer. The update also classifies welding fumes as a potentially harmful substance.

Negotiators from Parliament and the member states agreed on the new rules in June. Parliament formally confirmed it. The directive will now be published in the Official Journal of the EU. After it comes into force, EU states have two years to implement the rules into national law. Longer transition periods apply to some limit values.