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REACH is now in action
The new European Chemicals Regulation, REACH, came into effect across Europe on 1 June. Because it is a regulation and not a directive, national legislation is not necessary for its implementation. REACH will replace 40 older laws on EU chemicals, and will be overseen by a new EU Chemicals Agency based in Helsinki.
One of the goals of REACH is to reduce animal testing, particularly in vertebrates. Such testing should only be undertaken “as a last resort”, says the regulation. But with some 30 000 chemicals involved, including the 3 000 considered to be the most dangerous and subject to special authorisation, it seems likely that animal testing will increase rather than decrease. Most of these dangerous chemicals are known as persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic (PBTs) or very persistent and very bio-accumulative (vPvBs). Permission to use these chemicals in Europe will only be given if no alternative exists and the benefits of using them outweigh the risks. In this case, permission to use them will be granted for a limited period while the manufacturer pays for research to be carried out to identify an alternative.
While environmentalists say this is not strict enough to protect human health, animal rights groups are claiming that REACH will lead to hugely increased animal use in fulfilling the strict testing requirements. In a letter to the Brussels weekly paper European voice, Sandra Hannen, from the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments said: “Like most sensible Europeans, the European Coalition to End Animal Experiments fully supports the REACH aims to protect our citizens and the environment from exposure to harmful chemicals. But like many Europeans we do not believe that aim should be achieved via tens of millions of new tests on animals.”
REACH has been considerably toned down during its passage through the European legislative process, and the testing requirements considerably relaxed. But the problem of balancing human health and animal welfare seems set to cause difficulties for many years to come.
More information about REACH can be obtained on the European Commission website at:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_in_brief04_09_15.pdf