An investigation into Europe’s chemical industry by national authorities reveals startling news on the safety front. The study finds that one third of high production volume chemicals made or imported into Europe since 2010 are illegal under the EU’s own safety laws, according to an article from Manufacturing.net. The laws are designed to protect the public and environment from harmful exposure.
The article reports that only 31% of the chemicals studied were classified as safe and the remainder require further investigation. While Europe’s REACH regulations require companies to declare harmful chemicals to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) for follow-up, millions of tons of the chemicals have reportedly made their way into the production of products ranging from paint to furniture. According to the article, little in the way of additional enforcement is expected in the short term despite the results of the investigation.
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