The impact of Reach
January 3, 2007 10:40 AM
By Andrew Duff in Cambridge Herald
By Andrew Duff in Cambridge Herald
Most of us now carry about 30 manufactured chemicals around in our bodies, and have very little idea of their long-term effect -- on us or the planet. The European Union has set to work to tackle the problem. After three years of hot debate, the European Parliament has put to bed the biggest ever piece of EU environmental legislation. MEPs and ministers hammered out a deal on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH). The new regulation replaces 40 existing laws and affects about 30,000 chemical products.
Parliament fought with the Council up to the last minute on key points such as mandatory substitution of the most hazardous substances where alternatives exist, recognition of a duty of care by manufacturers, and the promotion of alternatives to animal testing. In the end, I am fully satisfied that REACH serves to improve protection of human health and the environment while making Europe's chemicals industry more competitive. It has also been the focus of intense lobbying on behalf of the industry's economic and commercial interests on the one hand, and NGOs battling for consumers and the environment on the other. Many firms in the Cambridge area will be directly affected by REACH.
The main point of disagreement between the Parliament and Council of Ministers was the authorisation of the most hazardous substances. The EU introduced compulsory testing of new products in 1981, but many older chemicals have never been tested -- until now. For the most dangerous substances, producers will be obliged to submit a substitution plan to replace them with safer alternatives. Where no alternative exists, producers will have to present a research and development plan aimed at finding one.
Another key point of the draft regulation was that the burden of proof regarding testing and evaluation of the risks of chemicals would be transferred from governments to industry. Firms will have a 'duty of care' to ensure that neither human health nor the environment are damaged. The promotion of alternatives to the animal testing of chemicals, an issue of prime concern to MEPs, is now included among the goals of REACH.
Europe has produced a model for the control of chemicals which is set to become a standard for the world.
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