Hygiene, health and environment: European directives

Summary

The setting up of the 1993 single market aimed at promoting free movement within the European Community, requires the elaboration of documents intended for the State members, so that the latter may adapt their own national standards which, at the present time, often hinder this free circulation. As for the «Construction products», a Directive was passed in this respect on

December 21, 1988. It defines six essential requirements applicable to both building and civil engineering works, among which the one entitled: «Hygiene, Health and Environment».

Each of these requirements will give rise to the elaboration of an «Interpretative Document» which is aimed at explaining the contents of each requirement, specifying the relevant terminology, allowing the requirements, to be transformed into levels (or classes) of performances to comply with, as well as stating precisely the standards and harmonized technical documents indispensable for both the expression and checking of these levels.

With respect to the range of subjects pertinent to the «Hygiene, Health and Environment» requirement, it should be possible to deal easily with certain aspects such as hydrological cycle, in so far as both regulations and means of verification have, for a long time, been determined in most EEC countries. On the other hand, it will be more difficult to treat other aspects such as: air quality, emission of pollutants or radiation, owing to an almost total absence of any regulations at the present time.