The American Chemical Industry Association (AAC) recently stated that it was disappointed with the EU parliament’s previous vote in favour of the REACH proposal and expressed its indifference to the European Parliament’s decision to abandon the scientific safety management measures for hazardous chemicals. REACH requires companies to register various chemicals used and provide information on potential hazards. The new regulations also limit the testing of animals for new chemicals.
The ACC believes that after the EU has ratified the REACH regulation, more feasible measures are needed. The US chemical industry is still committed to adopting improved technologies to ensure the safety of chemical production and use. The ACC advocates the use of universally applicable methods to manage chemicals. They believe that the key to managing chemicals is to ensure safety rather than to meet tedious regulations that will weaken competitiveness and stifle trade, innovation, and technological progress.
Not long ago, the European Parliament passed the most controversial REACH new chemical bill in the EU’s recent legislation, which forced industrial companies to register and test thousands of potentially hazardous chemicals. This move annoys many leaders in the European business community and raises concerns in the chemical industry in the United States and Japan that they fear the bill may become a de facto barrier to trade.