This news update discussing chemicals in consumer products is brought to you by Chemical Watch.
A position paper published by the European Association for the Coordination of Consumer Representation in Standardisation (Anec) outlines several strategies to address chemicals in key consumer product areas, such as toys, textiles and construction products.
The document is an updated version of a paper published in 2011, in which Anec spotlighted regulatory gaps in chemical safety. It reflects the outcome of a conference, held last year (GBB December 2013), where Anec and government bodies from various member states debated how to enhance the regulation of chemicals in various product areas.
Anec’s paper says the EU regulatory provisions for chemicals in consumer products do not go far enough. It criticises the fact that, in most cases, the scope of a product regulation is restricted to either human health or environment, but not both. REACH cannot compensate for these gaps because it only covers chemicals in consumer articles to a limited extent, and “cannot compensate for deficits in product regulation”, the paper reads.
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