European chemicals industry faces new rules
Far-reaching rules governing the European chemicals industry entered into force today, but environmentalists and consumer groups complained the legislation does not go far enough to protect human health.
The law bans some of the most dangerous chemicals from use in the 27-nation European Union. Some 30,000 other substances used in products ranging from detergents to toys will have to be registered in an EU database.
The law – known as REACH, for Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals – is a compromise balancing health and environmental concerns against fears that excessive red tape would stifle business. It puts the burden of proof on companies to show that industrial chemicals and substances used in everyday products are safe.
“The EU is providing itself with the most progressive chemicals legislation in the world,” said EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas in Brussels.
The database will be managed by a new EU chemicals agency, which opened today in Helsinki, Finland. The chemicals industry will pay for all the tests, while the EU will pay for running the agency.
Environmentalists and consumers are concerned that not enough chemicals will get tested, and that many high-concern chemicals may be allowed onto the market if producers can prove they can adequately control them.
“Thousands of chemicals will escape any requirement to provide sufficient health and safety information. And many chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive illness will still be allowed in manufacturing and consumer goods,” said the World Wildlife Fund, Greenpeace and other environmental organisations in a joint statement.
Some 13,000 substances deemed to pose some sort of health or safety risk will face automatic testing. But almost all tests will be waived for little-used chemicals of which only 1 to 10 tonnes are produced or imported into the EU annually.
REACH replaces some 40 different EU rules currently governing the use of chemicals in the EU. In the past, companies could sell almost any chemical without being required to provide detailed health and safety information.
The chemicals industry employs 1.3 million people in 27,000 companies in the EU.
