EU considers tougher stance on chemicals.

• Author: McGinn, Anne Platt
• Position: Reviews to screen for environmental and health risks - Brief Article

EU considers tougher stance on chemicals: After two years of debate, the European Union is now considering adopting a comprehensive new review process to screen new chemicals for health and environmental risks. Margot Wallstrom, the EU Environment Commissioner, recently presented the new chemicals strategy, which mandates perhaps the most precautionary policy on chemicals use worldwide, to the European Parliament for consideration.

The strategy calls on lawmakers to assess the thousands of chemicals that are manufactured and used today but have never been evaluated for health risks. In 1981, the EU passed a law requiring pre-market testing of human health and environment risks for new chemicals, of which 2,700 have since been introduced to commerce. But more than 100,000 chemicals were exempted from the testing requirements because they had been introduced prior to the 1981 law. Many of these are still in use today.

The proposed system adopts a three-tiered approach to evaluating the safety of chemicals. The system would shift the burden of proving chemical safety from governments to chemical producers; generate a baseline database about chemicals and make that information publicly available; and prioritize high risk chemicals for restricted use.

If the proposal is approved, companies would be required to register approximately 30,000 chemicals...