U.S. Chemicals to be Banned by European Union REACH Regulation

"WASHINGTON - September 30 - Hundreds of companies located in 37 of the 50 United States produce or import hundreds of chemicals designated as dangerous by the European Union (EU). As a result, these companies will be directly affected by controls imposed under the EU's new chemicals regulation, concludes Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) in a report released today, Across the Pond: Assessing REACH's First Big Impact on U.S. Companies and Chemicals.

The report finds that many of the hundreds of chemicals already identified as dangerous by the EU are being produced or imported in the United States in large amounts and at many different sites. The findings provide compelling evidence for the U.S. Congress to protect public health by reforming the nation's primary chemical safety law, the 32-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act.

"The fact that so many chemicals already designated as dangerous by EU officials are actively being produced and used in the United States should dispel any notion that the problem is limited to only a few 'bad actors,'" said Richard A. Denison, Ph.D., EDF Senior Scientist and author of the report. "Toxic chemicals grabbing recent headlines - such as bisphenol A used in baby bottles and food cans, phthalates used in kids' toys, and flame retardants used in furniture - are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of chemicals that demand scrutiny."

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