REACH – The new chemical EU regulation

What is REACH?

REACH is the new chemical EU legislation
REACH means: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of CHemicals
REACH collects a wide range of existing chemical rules in an overall legislation complex (The proposal comprises 1,200 pages).

A regulation on chemicals...

The basic REACH idea is that it is the chemical manufacturer / importer who has to document that the chemical can be manufactured and used without unacceptable consequences for human and environment in all relations in which the chemical could be used.

REACH does not like the existing legislation distinguish between the 100,000 substances which were on the market before 1981 (and to which no demands exist today) and the 3,000 substances which have been marketed since 1981 (and which all have been registered). With REACH, all new and old substances will be treated equally and, consequently, even 'old' substances have to registered.

The REACH principle is "no data = no marketing" and this means that if a substance has not been documented it is prohibited to sell it.

This bill implies that all "CMR substances in category 1+2" and all substances manufactured / imported in quantities above 1,000 tons have to be registered within 3 years from the adoption of the bill.

Registration of chemicals and substances

Substances manufactured / imported in quantities above 100 tons each year have to be registered within 6 years.

Substances manufactured/imported in quantities between 1 and 100 tons each year have to be registered within 11 years from the coming into force of the regulation.

When registering substances manufactured / imported in quantities of more than 10 tons each year, a chemical safety evaluation has to be delivered and documented in a chemical safety report.

The chemical manufacturer is responsible

The basic REACH difference is that it is the chemical manufacturer/importer who is responsible for documenting that the substance/product is acceptable and not as now the authorities who are to document that it is dangerous.

In order to enable the manufacturer to document that a substance is not dangerous, it will be necessary that he knows exactly what it is to be used for by all of his customers and by all his customers' customers. Everybody using chemicals in their products has inversely to ensure that the chemical in question has been registered and possibly approved for specifically their application.

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