"Environmental Defense, in cooperation with Pollution Probe in Canada, has released a major new report on industrial chemicals policies. "Not That Innocent: A Comparative Analysis of Canadian, European Union and United States Policies on Industrial Chemicals" provides — for the first time — a comprehensive comparison of the European Union's new REACH regulation with existing policies in the United States and Canada that govern industrial chemicals.1

Report culls 'best practices' for industrial chemical policies

The report identifies "best practices" that draw on the most effective features of the three policies with respect to how well they protect human health and the environment. Best practices are offered for each of six core functions of any chemicals policy, pinpointing how an ideal policy should approach:

identifying and prioritizing chemicals of concern;
identifying and tracking chemicals and their production and use;
facilitating or requiring the generation and submission of risk-relevant information;
assessing information to determine hazard/exposure/risk;
imposing controls to mitigate risk; and
sharing and disclosing information and protecting confidential business information. ..."

Support: Digital