REACH Policy

Consider this: we are living in the “era of a great biological experiments,” there are more than 100,000 man made chemical compounds, many of whose effects on the human body we don’t know.

Many of these compounds are not found in nature and can’t break down. These chemicals get exposed to vegetables and fruits in the form of pesticides, or get washed with the rain and find their way into the ocean. Here, they are eaten up by small fish and enter their way into the human food chain. Since they accumulate in the fatty tissues of animals, by the time they reach our plate, their toxicity and negative effects are multiplied in our bodies after consumption.

Nonetheless, the food chain is not the only place where we encounter these chemicals. They are also found in our cosmetics, clothing, wallpaper, detergents, medicines, and almost anything else we can imagine using throughout the day.

Bearing this in mind, the REACH policy is one of the most important policies we covered in class, for it helps in the organization and listing of these chemicals. Chemicals which otherwise would have gone unnoticed or unrecognized by the human population and scientists alike.

The registration process asks manufacturers of the chemicals to provide as much information about their substance as they can. This includes information about the its chemical make up, how it ought to be properly used, what are the known negative effects, and a procedure list of what to do in the case of an emergency.

Lets see how registration works. Substance produced below 1 ton do not have to be registered, unless very toxic. Substances produced in quantities of 1 ton or more, have to be listed in the ‘technical dossier’- this includes the classification and guidance on safe use of the product. Chemicals manufactured in volumes of 10 tons or more must be listed in the ‘chemical safety report’- this analyzes the risk measures of the chemical, and gives further information about its use along the life cycle.

The idea of the REACH program is to make the listing of toxic chemicals more organized, transparent and available for the use of scientists, policy makers and the public. It also aims at jumpstarting innovative ideas by trying to find substitutes for substances that are just too toxic to be on the market.

So far, however, the policy has faced much criticism. Small companies find it very costly to attend various REACH meetings, install IT software to complete registration, or find translators who can explain the policy to them (the policy is only available in English). As we say, ‘the devil is in the details,’ but this is one policy that is worth maintaining for it serves as the first line of defense against human exposure to lab made toxins, which are found everywhere and whose effects we still don’t fully understand.

 
Work Cited:
Unknown. (2007) “REACH.” European Commission. Accessed on March 20, 2012 from: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/reach/reach_intro.htm

Comments Off on REACH Policy / 27 Mar 2012 por Hokuma Karimova
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