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REACH
Despite aggressive lobbying efforts from the Bush Administration and US chemicals industry, the European Union Parliament on Nov. 17 passed an unprecedented initiative that will fundamentally change the way chemicals are regulated. EU governments are expected to reach a deal on the legislation Dec. 13. The REACH chemicals policy (for Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) will require manufacturers to provide health and safety data on tens of thousands of untested, unregulated chemicals, and will move the market toward safer alternatives.
REACH is an important step in the right direction and the U.S. needs to be pro-future as well — moving toward a chemical management system based on the latest scientific information and values-based precaution, rather than a backward looking approach that favors ignorance and allows untested, unregulated, and unnecessary toxic chemicals to build up in all of our bodies.
• How REACH is different from the current regulatory system, BBC story
• What is REACH and why is it important to the US?
• REACH in 5 minutes, summary of the history.
• Scope of REACH: 6 page document with definitions of terminology and explanations of substances exempt from REACH.
• Huge new health benefits seen for REACH
Bush Administration’s unprecedented lobbying campaign to stop REACH
• Documents reveal US government campaign to undermine EU chemicals policy
• April 2004 report from Rep. Waxman’s office, documents show how a powerful special interest is influencing the nation’s foreign policy.
Recent developments on chemical policy in US
July 2005: GAO report finds EPA is failing to protect the public from tens of thousands of toxic compounds because it has not gathered data on the health risks of most industrial chemicals. LA Times story.
July 2005: Federal bill introduced, Kids Safe Chemicals Act, by Senators Lautenberg and Jeffords.
LA times front page, May 16, 2005: Europe's Rules Forcing U.S. Firms to Clean Up.
Wall Street Journal front page, July 25, 2005: Common Industrial Chemicals in Tiny Doses Raise Health Issue.
New Harris poll reported in Wall Street Journal Oct. 13, 2005: Nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults agree that protecting the environment is important and standards cannot be too high. Water pollution is the top concern among poll respondents, followed by air pollution.
For more information contact:
Daryl Ditz, Ph.D.; Senior Policy Advisor, Chemicals Program, Center for International Environmental Law.
KPFA radio broadcast on REACH and how Europe is moving ahead of the US.
