Major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances
Report by Giorgo LISI (EPP-ED, It)
Debate on Wednesday 18 June 2003, vote on Thursday 19 June.
The Commission proposal seeks to broaden the scope of the Seveso II Directive in the light of the Baia Mare and Enschede accidents (see "Background" below). Furthermore, it seeks to incorporate the recommendations of two studies, one dealing with carcinogens and the other with substances which are dangerous to the aquatic environment.
Adopting the report by Giorgio Lisi (EPP-ED, IT), MEPs are sending a message to the Council that they want still stricter measures to tackle the risks of industrial accidents.
Parliament insisted on including in a directive all forms of mining-related activity and the industrial use of potassium nitrate, to prevent industrial accidents such as Seveso, Toulouse, Baia Mare and Aznalcóllar ever happening again.
MEPs want to emphasise the importance of staff training. They also insisted on including in the directive all types of preparation entailing the use of dangerous substances, so as to ensure that plants such as Aznalcóllar, where there was a damburst in 1998, are not excluded.
Parliament wants guidelines for a harmonised technical database of risk data and risk scenarios, to assess compatibility between existing establishments and certain sensitive areas. Guidelines should also be laid down on minimum safety distances between these two types of area.
On information to the public, Parliament is proposing further clarifications. The Council accepted Parliament's position on information for the public but left out the provision that maps should be compiled showing the areas which might be affected by major accidents. The Parliament is therefore reinstating this requirement.
During the debate, David Bowe MEP (Lab, Yorkshire & the Humber) said:
"The common position is, in fact, quite a significant step forward but it does not deal with all the problems. There are still issues that remain unaddressed. We responded to Enschede and Toulouse with this Directive. We have responded with directives to events that have caused us to be concerned about tunnel safety and pipeline safety. We are going to miss the chance to respond properly and completely unless we amend this common position to cover other events that have taken place in recent times within and outside the Union.
The events of Baia Mare in Romania and Doñana in Spain demonstrate the need to take action with regard to mining safety and mining waste safety. Until we see the mining waste directive we cannot relent on amendments that we have previously passed in this committee and in this Parliament to ensure that action is taken with regard to those dangerous substances and activities, not necessarily utilising dangerous substances that clearly need regulation. Put them in the mining waste directive, Commission, and we will relent on the amendments."
Links
David Bowe MEP: http://www.europarl.org.uk/requetes/bowe.asp
On www.europarl.europa.eu:
What happens next
Codecision applies in this area. Parliament's second reading now returns to the Council. If Council disagrees, the text will be examined jointly in conciliation procedure.
(See http://www.europarl.europa.eu/code/information/what_is_en.htm ).
Background
The Seveso accident happened in 1976 at a chemical plant manufacturing pesticides and herbicides. Poisonous and carcinogenic dioxin was released from a reactor. The contamination concerned some ten square miles of land and vegetation. More than 600 people had to be evacuated from their homes and as many as 2,000 were treated for dioxin poisoning.
In 1982, the Seveso Directive was adopted (Council Directive 82/501/EEC on the major-accident hazards of certain industrial activities (OJ No L 230 of 5 August 1982).
Subsequently:
- Union Carbide's Bophal catastrophe occurred in 1984 and caused more than 2,500 deaths
- accident at Sandoz warehouse in Basel, Switzerland in 1986: massive pollution of the Rhine
- In 1987 and 1988, the Seveso Directive was twice broadened in scope, in particular to include the storage of dangerous substances.
In 1996, a review of the directive resulted in the adoption of Seveso II.
- Firstly, the Directive aims at the prevention of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances. Secondly, as accidents do continue to occur, the Directive aims at the limitation of the consequences of such accidents not only for man (safety and health aspects) but also for the environment (environmental aspect).
- In 1999, the obligations of Seveso II became mandatory for industry as well as public authorities.
Subsequently, new accidents occurred at:
Toulouse, 21 September 2001:
Explosion of ammonium nitrate at AZF chemical plant: 30 dead, 2400 injured
Ries (ELDR, B): In order to be effective, a law must be correctly applied. That was obviously not the case in Toulouse. No hazard study had been carried out in the building in which the explosion occurred. Nor had any reassessment been made - since 1995 - of the ammonium nitrates produced and stored, which is why I am in favour of making the obligations to be met by the operator more stringent.
(Excerpt from the debate on proposed directive amending Seveso II, 2 July 2002)
Enschede (NL), 13 May 2000:
A fireworks factory that did not fall within the scope of the directive destroyed an entire housing estate. 18 dead, 900 injured (BBC)
Corbey (PSE, NL) There is no point in locking the stable door after the horse has bolted. Unfortunately this is all too true, but we must guard this stable door effectively now. Seveso and Bhopal are places where serious accidents have taken place. These accidents have led to measures which have, however, proved insufficient each time. And each time an enormous tragedy has ensued. In Enschede, it transpired that current Seveso legislation is inadequate. A fireworks factory that did not fall within the scope of the directive destroyed an entire housing estate. The human suffering was enormous, and the grief for the victims remains. Residents of this estate were unaware of the presence of the fireworks factory. Authorities were only aware to a very limited extent. It is therefore obvious that rules need to be tightened up.
(Debate on proposed directive amending Seveso II, 2 July 2002)
Baia Mare (Romania), end January 2000:
More than 100 000 cubic metres of water heavily poisoned with cyanide has polluted the Lepos and Somes rivers in Romania, the Tisza in Hungary and the Danube in Serbia and Bulgaria, ie. the delta of the Danube, one of the most important wetlands in Europe covering some 4 300 square kilometres; the concentrations of cyanide were over seven hundred times the normal levels, killing vast numbers of fish,birds and aquatic flora, contaminating food chains and drinking and agricultural water resources by heavy metals deposited in the river; the pollution will affect the life of all inhabitants of the region, especially fishermen and those involved in local tourism.
(From European Parliament resolution of 17 Feb 2000)
Further information: Simon Duffin, simon.duffin@europarl.europa.eu EP Office, London Tel: 020 7227 4300
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