Why REACH Was Needed

Before REACH, there was only a patchwork of many different directives and legislations. In order to create more transparency, a consistent regulation was needed.

Furthermore, increasing health awareness has lead to the notion that not only products ingested by humans are potentially dangerous. Chemical substances can also enter the human body when inhaled or eaten due to air pollution or contamination of ground water. It must not be forgotten that contaminated ground water can enter the food chain easily by ingestion of plants, fish or any other animals. The hazardous effects of many of the chemical substances cannot be noticed when only few of these chemical substances are consumed.

However, these chemicals can cause damage to human health if they bio-accumulate over time, i.e. if too much of one substance is consumed and cannot be absorbed.

There are a very high number of incidents of allergies, genetic mutations, hormone changes, reproductive disorders and even certain types of cancer to be found in the EU. Even though some of the well-known harmful chemicals like asbestos are already banned, the European Commission still suspects a link from all these rising incidents to the high amount of untested and potentially harmful chemicals on the market. REACH is aimed at protecting human health and the environment. It is estimated that every third occupational disease results from chemical exposure. REACH has the aim to reduce that figure. By having chemical substances checked for safety, an increasing transparency of substances on the market is hoped for.

In the past, the burden of recognizing and dealing with hazardous substances has been on the authorities only. Now the responsibility is better separated, as REACH places the responsibility also on the industries. The new regulation will also encourage R&D and enhance the competitiveness within Europe by fostering innovation. Even though some of the most dangerous POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) have been banned since the Stockholm Convention of 1995 (these 12 chemicals include HCB, PCB and DDT), many companies still use potentially carcinogenic chemical substances in their products. With the REACH regulation, they can no longer do this, as REACH compels them to possess a special permission to use those chemicals. This permission has to be renewed regularly and shall encourage companies to look for a safer alternative.

As all registrants are urged to share their data on exposure assessments for testing new substances, they will be able to cut down their own costs as well as those of the EU. It is estimated that REACH will save billions of euro of healthcare costs. Data sharing will also lead to a reduction in animal testing and eventually to a safer environment for all.