REACH, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
regulation (European Union (EU), 2006), is the greatest upheaval ever in
European regulation of chemicals. Its implementation is now well under way. The
European Chemical Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki administered much of the scheme and
tried to restrict the number of chemicals in the first pre-registration stage
to 10 000, but by the end of 2008, 165 000 substances had been pre-registered
by 65 000 companies (ECHA 2008a, 2009). Registration must be complete by 30
November 2010 for chemicals supplied at >1000 tons yearwith lower thresholds
for chemicals that show certain serious effects. Registration will involve
completion of a Chemical Safety Assessment, culminating in risk management
measures (RMMs) for each application of each chemical, if it is classified for
health or environmental effects (ECHA, undated). Eventually, all classified
chemicals supplied at >10 tons yearill need such an assessment. The process is
dominating the activity of many occupational hygienists in the European chemical industry and is
affecting many others.

The January issue of the Annals of Occupational Hygiene analyses the

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AplusA-online.de - Source: Annals of Occupational Hygiene