REACH - Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of CHemicals

[helvella]

In the comments on my recent Trichloroethylene blog, there is clearly concern about "chemicals". But did you know that there is a huge project to try to improve the situation?

Many, many products have been reformulated to avoid the worst substances. I know, for example, that the paint industry has been very seriously affected.

Rather than me trying to re-word what they say, here it is in their words:

Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of CHemicals (REACH)

What is REACH?

REACH is a European Union regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals. It came into force on 1st June 2007 and replaced a number of European Directives and Regulations with a single system.

Aims

REACH has several aims:

To provide a high level of protection of human health and the environment from the use of chemicals.

To make the people who place chemicals on the market (manufacturers and importers responsible for understanding and managing the risks associated with their use.)

To allow the free movement of substances on the EU market.

To enhance innovation in and the competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry.

To promote the use of alternative methods for the assessment of the hazardous properties of substances e.g. quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) and read across.

Scope and exemptions

REACH applies to substances manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities of 1 tonne or more per year. Generally, it applies to all individual chemical substances on their own, in preparations or in articles (if the substance is intended to be released during normal and reasonably foreseeable conditions of use from an article).

Some substances are specifically excluded:

Radioactive substances

Substances under customs supervision

The transport of substances

Non-isolated intermediates

Waste

Some naturally occurring low-hazard substances

Some substances, covered by more specific legislation, have tailored provisions, including:

Human and veterinary medicines

Food and foodstuff additives

Plant protection products and biocides

Other substances have tailored provisions within the REACH legislation, as long they are used in specified conditions:

Isolated intermediates

Substances used for research and development

hse.gov.uk/reach/

It is certainly to be hoped that impacts such as endocrine-disruption are properly considered and managed. But it is at least the case that there is an organisation charged with looking at the issues. Even if they get things wrong, there is at least someone to point our fingers at, someone to complain to, someone to blame. With the possibility of things improving over time.

Rod

[Hidden]

Where do these chemicals come from?

Guess - bi-products of some sort of manufacturing. Waste products.

Where do they go?

Guess - they can't tip them down the drain anymore, or spray them on fields, or dump in the sea.

Another guess - they find a use, somewhere safe. ??? J

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Hidden]

They come from mines, oil wells, fermentation tanks, other factories, farms, and goodness knows where else.

Vast quantities go to houses as paint, carpets, insulation, window frames, cleaning products, clothing, cosmetics,...

Always difficult to say what is a by-product, what a main product, or if they are co-products!

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

Well, we try to avoid them, but have you seen what's on the back of a shampoo bottle? they make the bottles bigger as the writing gets too small!

Still reckon they're chucking it somewhere. and I'm not comfortable wearing plastic bottles as fleece either J

[shagydeep]

Chemicals are basically are in every place. The sources of chemical are so many but the stock is getting declined day by day.

chemical importers are providing useful chemical to the owners for using it in a appropriate work.

paarichemresources.com

[jamesmiddlebrock]

basically REACH legislation was imposed with the aim to control the contamination of the food chain from the toxic substances. Only the EU based consultancy company can get the substance registered. We are an EU based consultancy service and we are doing this job very well: sitmaereachservices.com/rea...

[jamesmiddlebrock]

It is usually alluded to as REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals).We provides reach services BV is a limited company under Netherlands law at sitmaereachservices.com/