REACH - EU Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals
Background:
REACH came into force on 1 June 2007. It replaced 40 legal acts to streamline the former legislative framework for chemicals in the EU by introducing a single system for all chemical substances. It aims to improve the protection of human health and the environment through better and earlier identification of the properties of chemicals.
REACH requires manufacturers and importers of chemical substances in quantities equal to or greater than 1 tonne per year (t/year) to submit a registration dossier to the European Chemical Agency (ECHA). They also need to provide their customers with Safety Data Sheets and Exposure Scenarios.
Downstream users of chemicals are obliged to ensure the safe application of these substances through compliance with the instructions provided by their suppliers.
The pre-registration phase for phase-in substances closed on 1 December 2008.
The first registration deadline expired in November 2010. It applied to: chemical substances produced or imported in over 1,000 t/year; carcinogenic mutagenic reprotoxic category 1 and 2 in amounts of 1 t/year or more; substances classified as R50/53 in amounts of 100 t/year or more.
The second registration deadline expires on 31 May 2013. It applies to substances produced or imported in quantities equal to or greater than 100 t/year.
The third registration deadline expires on 31 May 2018. It applies to substances produced or imported in quantities equal to or greater than 1 t/year.
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