The Stop Cancer at Work Campaign today welcomes the provisional political agreement by the European Parliament and European Council to include for the first time greater protection and reference to reprotoxic substances and hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) in the fourth revision of the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive (CMD).
The agreement aims to provide workers and patients in healthcare with greater preventive measures against exposure to reprotoxic substances and hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) in the workplace.
Reprotoxins can cause impaired fertility or infertility so their inclusion within the scope of the CMD for the first time is especially beneficial to workers, both male and female. This means that the Directive will be now known as the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic substances Directive (CMRD).
12 reprotoxins with a binding occupational exposure limit will be introduced in Annex III to the Directive and included in the scope for the first time.
With regards to HMPs, training for workers handling hazardous medical drugs is added in the legal text as well as the commitment to adopt EU guidelines by the end of 2022 with the relevant stakeholders and co-operation of the Social Partners (EPSU and HOSPEEM).
Moreover, the agreement states that where appropriate and no later than one year after the transposition of this Directive, the Commission shall, taking into account the latest developments in scientific knowledge, and after appropriate consultation of relevant stakeholders, develop a definition and establish an indicative list of HMPs.
