Iodine to be banned in europe...??

[masongary44]

Apparently the use of Iodine is to be banned in europe meaning tabs, liquids or water treatment systems that use Iodine will dissapear from the shops sometime soon.

Mad!!.

I will be stocking up closer to the deadline... Apparently someone managed to overdose and kill themselves with the stuff, so, obviously, the eurocrats are getting involved.

The deadline appears to be October 2009, although I have not seen any official statement yet, my investigation into water purification systems has lead me to discover this through other forums.

Looks like my pre-mac filter is out the window when the cartridge expires.... Humph.

 

[IanM]

Um not quite.

Putting it very simply, all biocides used in the EU must be registered. Part of this registration is proof that they work. See the REACH legislation for details.

Example: www.steptoe.com/assets/attachments/Biocides_a4.pdf

Unfortunately it seems that the UK manufacturers and importers don't want to spend the money for the testing or proving and subsequent registration, it is simpler to suspend supply, which to them is a tiny, tiny, part of their business. Purely a hard nosed business decision.

 

[Ex Member - Sidney Bounty]

This is happening here in canada as well I stocked up last year with several bottles of polar pur iodine water treatments....

 

[HillBill]

Probably got more to do with codex if its happening both here and across the pond.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Madness.

http://www.outdoorindustry.org/media.outdoor.php?news_id=5461

 

[Rebel]

What next? :tapedshut

 

[Toddy]

So Steripen makes a fortune over some paper pushers directive ?

Is it just for potable water supplies though ? The last lot I bought was sold for sterilising waterbutts.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[bikething]

What next? :tapedshut

Probably wont be allowed to boil water to make it safe because someone somewhere spilt hot water on themselves

 

[locum76]

So Steripen makes a fortune over some paper pushers directive ?

Is it just for potable water supplies though ? The last lot I bought was sold for sterilising waterbutts.

cheers,
Toddy

sweet! there is ALWAYS a way to get what you need.

 

[malente]

this is just plain silly. Totally random. Eurobureaucracy at its best.

***off to stock up on Iodine***

 

[phaserrifle]

Madness.

http://www.outdoorindustry.org/media.outdoor.php?news_id=5461

interesting that steri-pen are quoted in this. and suggest they where involved in making the legislation.
what's the betting that chlorine is next ("if you mix chlorine tabs with the wrong chemicals it releases chlorine gas, and that can be dangerous" is likely to be the reasoning)

I don't like iodine, I had a bottle of it that leaked all over my bag....went back to chlorie tabs, which don't leak.

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

But but but but but....hmmph......slowly losing the will to argue all the stupid decisions that are forced upon us in life by companies, bureaucrats and politicians.

 

[bikething]

...—our SteriPEN UV portable water purifiers (www.steripen.com) destroy viruses, bacteria and protozoan microbes in just seconds without the use of chemicals. SteriPEN water purifiers provide safe drinking water anywhere, anytime.

...until the battery runs out and you're in the middle of no-where...

 

[Draven]

Another sickening example of a nanny state gone mad on the power they don't come close to deserving...

 

[C_Claycomb]

I'm not much of a dab hand are de-coding legalese, but the way I read this they are looking to ban all iodine, at least, all of it that you or I might be able to get our hands on, so work arounds will be difficult. Its not just about drinking water but everthing from wood preserver, antifouling coatings, agricultural use and the food industry.

The link that I posted before leads to this one:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biocides/pdf/list_dates_product_phasing_out.pdf
which opens with the statement that:

Existing active substances for which a decision of non-inclusion into Annex I or Ia of Directive 98/8/EC has been adopted
-
In accordance with Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2032/2003, biocidal products containing active substances for which a noninclusion
decision was taken shall be removed from the market within 12 months of the entering into force of such decision; unless
otherwise stipulated in that non-inclusion decision
-
Dates by which products containing these active substances shall no longer be placed on the market for the relevant product-types

This document contains those Annexes I and Ia, page 23:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biocides/pdf/dir_98_8_biocides.pdf

ANNEX I
LIST OF ACTIVE SUBSTANCES WITH REQUIREMENTS AGREED AT COMMUNITY LEVEL FOR INCLUSION IN BIOCIDAL PRODUCTS

ANNEX IA
LIST OF ACTIVE SUBSTANCES WITH REQUIREMENTS AGREED AT COMMUNITY LEVEL FOR INCLUSION IN LOW-RISK BIOCIDAL PRODUCTS

ANNEX IB
LIST OF BASIC SUBSTANCES WITH REQUIREMENTS AGREED AT COMMUNITY LEVEL

So in order for iodine to be on the market for much of anything, it needs to make it into one of those three, and it looks like they have covered a lot of bases.

Just for completeness, here is the the pages talking about the "decision"
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/biocides/non_inclusions.htm
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32008D0809:EN:NOT

I would be more than happy to be proved wrong by someone more practiced at reading this stuff!

 

[IanM]

Iodine has not been banned outright, only for certain uses, it may still be used in medical and veterinary uses as these are exempt from registration under REACH, supposedly as they are tested and approved elsewhere and will still be added to salt as that use is deamed a medical use.

It has not been added to the list of approved biocides for water treatment because no one in the EU would nominate it with proof of the testing and efficacy of use during the consultation period which would have cost the sponsor tens of thousands of £ounds if not hundreds.

You will still be able to buy Iodine drops from the chemist (for medical use only, you understand) and KI Thyroid treatments and veterinary washes and iodised salt etc. etc. as these are all beyond the grasp of REACH.

Just as an add on. The same apples to garlic extract used as a water biocidal treatment and I don't hear anyone saying "The EU is banning Garlic".

 

[Bravo4]

won't need the iodine if they would just go ahead and ban Dihydrogen Monoxide .
http://www.dhmo.org/

Ban this, ban that....wouldn't it possibly be simpler to banish people than to ban things? Looks like Marie Byrd Land is unclaimed, might be just the place...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Byrd_Land

 

[Deleted dude 7861]

I don't hear anyone saying "The EU is banning Garlic".

I've just written to my Euro MP demanding that Garlic should be banned as it's smelly and I don't like it so shortly the EU will be banning all garlic

 

[Wayland]

Buy Iodine crystals and make it yourself.

 

[Lurch]

Do keep up at the back! I raised this issue ages ago.
http://www.lakelandbushcraft.co.uk/blog/2009/05/iodine-drops-tabs-to-be-banned.html