THIS
WEEK’S HAPPIEST NEWS
EUROPEAN UNION PASSES STRONGEST CHEMICAL SAFETY LAWS IN ITS
HISTORY
The European Union has passed one of the most far-reaching consumer
and environmental protection regulations ever. EU’s REACH (
Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals) law,
based upon the "Precautionary Principle," will force
chemical companies and consumer product manufacturers to prove
that all of the synthetic ingredients in their products are
safe, or else replace those chemicals with safe alternatives.
The rules will take effect in mid-2007, at which time companies
will be required to lay out plans to gradually replace the most
high-risk chemicals. Some 13,000 substances, deemed of high
concern, face automatic testing and possible removal from the
market.
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