REACH, the European chemical regulation has been under implementation since June 2007. Five years later, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) chemical hazards expert Tony Musu takes stock of this ambitious reform. In the following interview, the former member of the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) management board discusses ECHA independence and the impact of the industry lobbying. He also addresses other crucial issues for workers' health such as exposure to nanomaterials and carcinogens.
REACH has been in force for just over five years. Is it working?
Reasonably well in terms of the registration dossiers firms are submitting to ECHA. Thousands of these have come in and been inputted into the computer system by ECHA for processing. So, on the technical side, it has worked well and the deadlines have been met.However, the quality of the dossiers submitted is iffy. A thorough review of the data disclosed by companies shows that dossiers are not always meeting the Regulation’s requirements. And yet the quality of data is fundamental for REACH to do its job in terms of preventing chemical risks in the workplace.