An important update from the Cobalt Institute on the European Commission’s proposed exposure limits.

We are contacting you from the Cobalt Institute to make you aware that – as we understand it, from senior sources – the European Commission plans to publish draft legislation for an cobalt occupational exposure limit (OEL) “before the summer.”  If you are concerned about the implementation of an unfeasibly low cobalt OEL, we would encourage you to take actions listed at the end of this email.

We do not yet know which values will be proposed by the Commission. As a reminder, the values proposed to the Commission by its expert committee were:

• 20µg Co/m³ inhalable (4 µg Co/m³ respirable) – for six years after entry into force
• 10µg Co/m³ inhalable (2.5 µg Co/m³ respirable) – for 7 years, after six years transition period
• ~1µg Co/m³ inhalable (respirable value equivalent to 4:10000 residual risk level) – option to reduce to this level based on a study, at the latest 13 years after entry into force.

The Cobalt Institute supports the implementation of an OEL, but at a 20µg Co/m3 (inhalable) and 4µg Co/m3 (respirable) level, without further proposals to lower.

Actions you can take

There is still time between now and summer to make the case for the Commission to adopt a more pragmatic OEL. We encourage all downstream cobalt users to engage directly with the Commission during this window of opportunity, to ensure they are aware of its importance.

A short paper with our key messages is can be found here: Cobalt Institute – OEL messaging for downstream users

Please use it as a reference—not verbatim—as tailored, business-specific input is far more effective than identical submissions.

Using these messages you can:

• Encourage colleagues that meet the Commission regularly to raise your concerns in their meetings, or meet directly.
• Write letters to key Commission officials, especially those whose sectors will be affected by a limit value, but may otherwise be unaware (defence, health, etc.)
• Write letters to the Commissioners and their Cabinets, especially where you have a national connection.
• Encourage peers in your industry, or trade associations you are members of, to undertake activity too.

For further advice, you can contact with Head of Government and Public Affairs Mike Blakeney at MBlakeney@Cobaltinstitute.org

Author: Andy Cormack