The European Commission has welcomed a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on the sixth revision of the Carcinogens, Mutagens and Reprotoxic substances Directive (CMRD), a major overhaul aimed at cutting exposure to some of the most dangerous workplace chemicals.
Once formally adopted, the updated rules are expected to prevent around 1,700 cases of lung cancer and 19,000 work-related illnesses over the next 40 years, while delivering up to €1.16 billion in healthcare savings across the EU.
The revision introduces stricter and clearer occupational exposure limits for hazardous substances including cobalt and inorganic cobalt compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 1,4-dioxane and isoprene.
" Cancer should never be the price of a job. Yet too many workers in Europe are still exposed to dangerous substances simply by doing their work. Behind every case is a person, a family, and a life changed forever. Today’s agreement will help prevent avoidable illness, save lives and make workplaces safer across Europe. By strengthening EU rules on carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic substances, we are delivering concrete protection for workers’ health and building on the Quality Jobs Roadmap. Safe and healthy working conditions are at the heart of quality jobs. This agreement is an important step towards a Europe where every worker can go to work without putting their health at risk," Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness.
Cobalt compounds—widely used in battery production for electric vehicles, as well as in magnets and hard metals—will now be subject to new inhalable and respirable exposure limits. Industries will be given a six-year transition period with higher interim thresholds to adapt production processes while phasing in stronger protections.
PAHs, present in steel, iron and aluminium production and welding fumes, and also linked to battery components for wind energy storage, semiconductors and electric vehicles, will face a new exposure limit. A temporary limit set at twice that level will apply for seven years after the Directive takes effect, giving heavily affected sectors time to adjust.
1,4-dioxane, used in chemical and textile manufacturing and found in some household detergents, will now be regulated through a general occupational exposure limit, a short-term exposure limit and a biological limit value.
Isoprene, used in the chemical and rubber industries, will also come under a new general occupational exposure limit.
The revised directive further expands its scope to include welding fumes, acknowledging their risks to workers and tightening employers’ obligations for protective and preventive measures. It also introduces specific notations highlighting the potential for exposure through skin contact and other routes.
