Registration Evaluation Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances

The European Union has been quite visible in recent years with such directives. RoHS (Restriction in the use of Hazardous Substances), WEEE (Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment), and REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical substances). RoHS places restrictions on use of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls, and some polybrominated diphenylethers. WEEE targets responsible recycling of electronic equipment. REACH is a new European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use... 

EC 1907/2006). As the name implies, it deals with the registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction of chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007. The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances.156 The ELV (End of Life Vehicles) directive aims to reduce the amount of environmentally unfriendly waste from ELVs. Similar initiatives are well developed in Japan and are evolving in China157 and many other countries. In the United States, at the state level, some states (for example, Maine and California) are adopting material restrictions on PVC plasticizers and certain brominated FRs. 

REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical Substances... 

In the European Union, a very comprehensive initiative with the aim to improve the protection of human health and the environment from the hazards of chemicals, and to enhance the competitiveness of the EU s chemical industry, is under way. It is referred to as REACIT, which stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals. REACFf places greater responsibility on industry to manage the risk of chemicals and provide appropriate safety information to professional users and, as far as the most hazardous substances, to consumers. New substances need to be registered before they are placed on the market. REACH came in force on June 1, 2007, with a phased implementation over the next decade. There is no doubt that it will affect the UV/EB industry. 

The European system for regulating synthetic chemicals, described in Chapter 5, is predominantly risk-based . This means that restrictions on the manufacture or use of chemicals must be justified by reference to evidence that there is a risk of the chemical causing a specified type of harm. REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemicals) does not define the term risk , but the directive on risk assessment of new substances defined it as the incidence and severity of the adverse effects likely to occur [...] due to actual or predicted exposure to a substance (Article 2 of Directive 93/67/EEC). In the first part of this chapter I look at how risks from chemicals are assessed. What does chemicals risk assessment in practice aim to achieve Can it provide the reliable evidence needed for agreement by all parties on whether or not a chemical poses a risk My answer to this second question is no there are multiple uncertainties in chemicals risk assessment which lead to protracted debates as to whether a chemical poses a risk or not. 

Abstract This chapter introduces the European Union (EU) and discusses some of its directives and regulations. Today the EU has some of the most progressive environmental policies in the world that extend to all areas of environmental protection. Some of these areas are air pollution control, water protection, waste management, and the control of chemicals. This chapter includes information about the End of Life Vehicles Directive (ELV), the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS), and the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (WEEE). The EU regulation called Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) is described too. 

Finally the European Union s regulation for Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) was described. It focuses on the production and use of chemical substances and their impact on human health and the environment. 

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) was among the first laws to attempt to define and regulate toxic chemicals. The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA 1999) and the European Union s directive on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals in 2007 (REACH) represent more recent efforts to manage chemical risk. 

There are environmental and social compliance elements to which companies must adhere when sourcing certain materials. If left to their own devices, companies may not act in the best interest of the communities they work in or the people they work with, so laws have been enacted to protect people and environments. For example, two European Union regulations outhne requirements for data collection, labeling, and disposal procedures that must be undertaken if certain materials are sourced and used in production. REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) aims to improve the protection of the environment and human health from the risks imposed by chemicals. What REACH does for chemicals is just like what RoHS does for electronics. The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment protects the environment and society from the harmful disposal of electronic equipment or e-waste. 

For example, once implemented, the European Commission s new chemicals policy REACH (Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) -endorsed in 2003 - would require manufacturers and importers of over one ton per year of any chemical substance to gather information on the properties, hazards, and use of that substance, and submit the data to the European Chemicals Agency. The Agency would then determine if the chemical substance needed to be further regulated, restricted, or banned from use. It is estimated that about 30,000 existing chemicals produced in or imported into Europe would be subject to REACH. Key objectives of the European Commission s initiative on the reformulation of chemicals policy are to raise human and environmental safety levels as well as to simplify and standardize the current legislation. 

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