REACH: THE SAGA CONTINUES

Let us first try to get a general idea of what REACH is and the current impact of this regulation. REACH stands for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals and is a European Union (EU) Regulation that went into effect June 1, 2007. It is officially known as Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. Additionally, Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) are chemicals/substances regulated by REACH. REACH regulates what chemicals can be imported and used in the EU common market. The SHVC Candidate List currently contains 173 chemicals as of this writing that may negatively impact human health and the environment. When the REACH regulation was established, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) generated a budgetary forecast of 440 basic substances that were expected to be formally reviewed for eventual placement on the list by 2020. This information was also included in the 2009 “SVHC Roadmap to 2020” plan. While the

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