Doc. 8683

28 March 2000

Fine-particle emissions and human health

Recommendation 1390 (1998)

Reply from the Committee of Ministers

adopted at the 703^rd meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies (22 and 24 March 2000)

1.        The Committee of Ministers took note of Recommendation 1390 (1998) on fine-particle emissions and human health and brought it to the attention of the governments of member states on 25 November 1998.

2.        The text was also forwarded to the European Commission, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, for information.

3.        Mindful of the technical nature of the questions raised by the Recommendation, the Committee of Ministers asked the European Health Committee (CDSP) for an opinion on it. That opinion is appended to this reply.

4.        The Committee of Ministers shares the Parliamentary Assembly’s concern about the effects of fine-particle emissions on the health of the population in Europe. It refers in this respect to the reply it gave in March 1999 to Recommendation 1369 (1998) on the dangers of asbestos for workers and the environment, and to the work undertaken in December 1999 under the aegis of the Public Health Committee (Partial Agreement) (CD-P-SP), which will report back next March.

5.        However, bearing in mind the manifest involvement of other international organisations in this issue, the Committee of Ministers wishes to make it clear to the Assembly that it does not consider it wise to include in the Council of Europe’s programme of activities subjects of a scientific nature which are the province of other international bodies.

Opinion of the European Health Committee (CDSP)

on Parliamentary Assembly Recommendation 1390 (1998)

      The European Health Committee (CDSP) examined Recommendation 1390 (1998) on fine particle emissions and human health. The CDSP agrees that the emission of fine particles is a health problem, which requires consideration.

      It draws attention however to the fact that the subject is being studied in other international organisations.

      The European Environment and Health Committee¹, which was set up in 1994 by the Ministers of the Environment and of Health at the 2^nd European Conference on Environment and Health in Helsinki, organized by WHO/EURO, in collaboration with the European Commission, has been largely responsible for this issue in Europe.

      The 3^rd Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which was held in London on 16-18 June 1999, has adopted several texts covering this issue.

      The CDSP's current work programme does not include the study of this problem. The CDSP could in future consider studying issues related to a healthy environment from the human rights perspective.

It is relevant to mention, however, that the Recommendation fails to refer to the emission of fine particles from smoking.

¹ The European Environment and Health Committee is composed of four members representing the Ministries of Health elected by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, four representatives of Ministries of Environment elected by the UN/ECE Committee on Environmental Policy, and representatives designated by the European Commission, European Environment Agency, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the United Nations Environment Programme, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Bank.