REACH – a missed opportunity…

[18 December 2006 - 10h56]
[mis à jour le 18 December 2006 à 10h58]

According to some MEPs, REACH – the European regulation system on the control of chemical products adopted this week - is the best in the world. But in fact it’s simply the least bad.

Because the text adopted by the European Parliament is far less ambitious than the original version which had planned to regulate 100,000 substances between now and 2018. Under the new version only 30,000 will be affected. And two thirds will automatically escape regulation as fewer than 10 tons of them are produced each year.

Several groups of toxic substances have thus been spared by the draft blacklist. This is the case with endocrine disturbers which alter the body’s hormone production. “It’s a tragedy for everyone’s health and for that of our planet”, was the reaction of Serge Orru, Director General of the WWF (World Wildelife Fund for Nature).

The European Consumers’ Organisation, the BEUC, for its part deplores “the intense pressure from national governments” on those negotiating the text. It points out that “some substances which are cancerigenous, mutagenic and toxic to reproduction will (therefore) still be present in products that we use every day”.

Representatives of Greenpeace France also condemn the fact that “dangerous substances will not be clearly identified on product labels. Consumers will only have access to this information if they ask the manufacturer.”

Another flaw – and a not insignificant one – is that substitution will not be obligatory. “Only if the manufacturer himself identifies a viable alternative will he be obliged commit to replacing the dangerous molecule. Nobody can force him to accept a safer alternative”, Greenpeace points out. MEPs had asked that dangerous substances should only be authorised for a limited period. Yet the final version of the REACH regulations grants authorisation for an unlimited period, which according to Greenpeace “is likely to favour the status quo.”

The substances targeted by REACH are present in most of the products with which we come into contact in our daily lives: cosmetics, paints, carpets, insulation, domestic appliances, hygiene products, perfumes, inks, etc. To find out more and identify the brands concerned visit: www.greenpeace.org/france/vigitox/consommer.

Source : BEUC European Consumers’ Organisation , Worldwide Fund for Nature, Greenpeace, WWF

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