Keywords
substance
preparation
chemicals
danger
legislation
registration
evaluation
authorisation
restriction
How to Cite
Abstract
In February 2001 the European Commission issued a White Paper on a “Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy” based on a review of the current European Union system for regulating the dangerous substances and preparations. As a result, on 29 October 2003, the Commission endorsed a Proposal for a Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). This proposal creates a European Chemicals Agency and establishes the REACH system with the following elements:
- Registration requires industry to obtain relevant information on their substances and to use data to manage them safely.
- Evaluation provides confidence that industry is meeting its obligations and prevents unnecessary testing.
- Authorisation of substances with properties of very high concern (CMRs, PBTs, endocrine disrupters) for particular uses.
- Restriction as a safety net to manage risks that have not been addressed previously in the system.
This system will provide information in several phases in order to know and reduce the risks derived from use of around 30,000 chemical substances that are manufactured/imported in the European Union in quantities over one ton per year. The information will be saved in a database after validation and may be used to establish a causal relationship between the environmental factors and the negative effects on health associated to the production and use of chemical products.
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