The Socialists and Democrats welcome the agreement on strengthening EU legislation on cancer-causing substances, reached late last night by negotiators from the European Parliament and EU member states.
This is already the sixth revision of the Carcinogens, Mutagens, and Reprotoxic Directive (CMRD), adopted in 2004. More than 40 key hazardous chemicals have now been covered, which could help save the lives of over 100,000 workers over the next 50 years, according to European Commission data.
When the fifth revision was agreed in November 2023, the S&D Group made it clear that the sixth revision should follow swiftly. This is a necessary step that supports the goals for workers’ health and safety set out in the European Pillar of Social Rights, while also contributing to Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and the European Health Union.
Nora Mebarek, S&D negotiator on the CMRD6 legislation, said:
“This legislation is vital because it saves workers’ lives. The new revision provides additional protection for workers against hazardous chemicals. Over the next 40 years, these changes are expected to prevent about 1,700 cases of lung cancer and 19,000 other illnesses, including restrictive lung disease and damage to the liver and kidneys.
“These new measures, further strengthened at the insistence of the S&D Group, could also save up to €1.16 billion in healthcare costs and significantly improve the quality of life for workers and their families.
“When it comes to workers’ safety, our goal is clear: zero deaths at work. This requires strict enforcement of health and safety standards, including protection from exposure to dangerous substances. With this agreement, we have taken an important step towards achieving this goal.”
Note to editors:
The new rules, as proposed by the European Commission in July 2025, introduce exposure limits for cobalt and inorganic cobalt compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (‘PAHs’) and 1,4-dioxane.
Parliament strengthened the proposal by adding a long-term occupational exposure limit for isoprene, which is used in the chemical and rubber-producing industry; additional protection measures for firefighters and emergency services personnel; and strong references to gender equality.
Data sourced from the European Commission.
