27 Jun
2006 - Environmental, women’s, health and consumer
organisations are very concerned that the Council
Common Position on the future EU chemicals law
–REACH- will not protect people and the environment
from toxic chemicals. We believe that the loopholes
in the Council text, which was rubber-stamped
today by Environment ministers, give cause for
serious doubt that REACH will be an improvement
on current chemicals legislation.
The Council Common Position
fails to take account of the European Parliament’s
First Reading position to substitute hazardous
chemicals with safer alternatives, whenever possible.
It would allow carcinogens, chemicals that are
toxic to reproduction (e.g. the phthalate DEHP)
and hormone-disrupting substances (e.g. bisphenol
A) to stay on the market, even if safer alternatives
exist. This loophole represents little change
from the current, flawed system, which has failed
to control the most dangerous chemicals and hinders
safe, innovative products from entering the market.
The Council text also drastically
reduces safety information that chemical producers
would be obliged to supply, particularly for substances
produced in low quantities. Thousands of chemicals
could thus stay on the market, despite no health
information being available. This, too, reduces
the likelihood of identifying safer alternatives
and taking precautionary action on chemicals.
The NGOs urge the European Parliament
to reaffirm its support for the substitution principle
during Second Reading. We anticipate that substitution
will become the main area of contention, together
with a legally binding duty of care and greater
access to information. Only when these principles
are fully endorsed by the EU institutions deciding
on REACH will European citizens and the environment
benefit from the new EU chemicals legislation.
Noemi Cano
