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Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) is a European Union law, regulation 2006/1907 of 18 December 2006. REACH covers the production and use of chemical substances, its 1000 pages took seven years to pass. It has been described as the most complex legislation in the Union's history[1] and the most important in 20 years.[2] It is the strictest law to date regulating toxic chemicals and will impact industries throughout the world.[3] Since it came into force in June 2007 REACH requires all chemicals of one tone or more in volume that are manufactured in or imported into the European Union each year to be tested for health and safety and registered with a new central European authority – the European Chemicals Agency located in Helsinki, Finland. REACH encourages manufacturers and importers (M/I) of such chemicals to pre-register them during the 6 month pre-registration period - June 1, 2008 to December 1, 2008. This will allow the companies much more time before they have to test and fully register the chemicals. REACH also applies to all chemicals that are considered of very high concern to health or the environment - regardless of volume. Depending on the substance in question and its use, producers and importers may be obliged to investigate its effects on human health and the environment. The most hazardous chemicals - carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or those that accumulate in humans or animals - can only be used if authorized by the European Chemicals Agency.[3] REACH applies to all chemicals imported or produced in the EU, in contrast to the US Toxic Substances Control Act which only applies to chemicals newly coming into use. The European Chemicals Agency will manage the technical, scientific and administrative aspects of the REACH system. The European Commission supports REACH affected businesses by handing out - free of charge - a software application (IUCLID), which simplifies capturing, managing and submitting of data on chemical properties and effects. Reason behind REACHThe legislation was proposed under dual reasoning: protection of human health and protection of the environment.Using potentially toxic substances (such as phthalates or brominated flame retardants), is obviously not ideal and REACH will force the use of these chemicals to be phased out or replaced with a safer alternative. Using potentially toxic substances in products other than those ingested by human (such as electronic devices) may seem to be adequately safe at first, but there are several pathways in which the chemicals can enter the human body. The chemicals can leave the device during consumer use into the air, to be inhaled or ingested by human and secondly, the substances could end up in the environment. Here they might not do harm to humans directly, but through the contamination of ground water, these chemicals can enter the food chain through plants, fish or any other animal, and when eaten cause harm. According to the European Commission, little safety information exists for 99 percent of the tens of thousands of chemicals placed on the market before 1981.[3] Most toxic chemicals in use today are justified because "at very low levels they are not a concern to health".[6] However, many of these may bioaccumulate in the human body, or chemically react with one another,[7] thus reaching dangerous concentrations. What is Menzolit doing about REACH? Menzolit is getting the official regristration of all its raw materials from its suppliers. At the same time we are putting together a list of all applications that our materials serve. We are already only using non-hazardous raw materials now. But we want to prove this by applying to REACH. |