Europe (EU)

Full title of the regulation

Regulation concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC
Regulation (EC) no. 1907/2006

Presentation

REACH stands for Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals, which came into force on June 1, 2007, with the aim of streamlining and improving the European Union's (EU) previous legislative framework for chemicals. It places the main responsibility for managing the risks that chemical substances can pose to health and the environment squarely on industry.

REACH applies in principle to all chemical substances: not just those used in industrial processes, but also those encountered in our everyday lives, for example in cleaning products and paints, as well as in items such as clothing, furniture and electrical appliances. REACH also applies to materials in contact with food, with a few derogations (see the following article: REACH and materials in contact with food)
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The objectives of REACH are:

- Better protect human health and the environment from the risks that chemical substances can pose
. - Strengthen the competitiveness of the European chemical industry, a key sector of the EU economy
. - Promoting alternative methods for assessing the hazards of substances
. - Guarantee the free movement of substances within the European Union's internal market


Keywords: toy; risk analysis; childcare article; toxicology; wood treatment product; azo dye; PCB; PCP; heavy metals; cadmium; plastic; polymer; phthalates; nickel