Hazardous chemicals in daily life declines in Sweden
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The number of products hazardous to health and available to consumers is decreasing, according to a report on hazardous chemicals from the Swedish Chemicals Agency and Statistics Sweden issued on Monday.
"Of the chemical products available to consumers which were imported and produced at the beginning of 1990s, about half were hazardous to health,"the statement said."By the end of the 1990s, this share had decreased and today it is 39 percent."
Examples of consumer chemicals are paint, cleaning agents, petrol and adhesives. In total, there are about 2,500 different paint products for consumers available on the Swedish market.
However, there is no significant decline in net inflow of goods with lead or cadmium.
"The net inflow of goods containing lead has been relatively steady at around 20,000 tons annually since 2006. As for cadmium, the net inflow of goods with cadmium content increased every year since 2000,"said the statement.
Preservatives are still used in order to make a product last for a long time. There are over 5,000 products containing two allergenic methylisothiazolones and these chemicals are present in more and more products.
Meanwhile, the recycling of these products is poor. The turnover is only 108 tons in 2009, or about 12 grams per person. The primary use is in products for the pulp and paper industry and other chemical industries, but the substances are also used in the food and textile industry, the statement said.
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