REACH passes next-to-last hurdle

A plenary vote in the European Parliament last week approved the compromise version of REACH, the European Union's new regimen for Registration, Evaluation & Authorization of Chemicals. Only a vote by the EU's Council of Ministers on Dec. 18, widely expected to also approve REACH, is left before the program becomes effective. REACH replaces a hodgepodge of chemical regulations up to 40 years old. The environmental group Greenpeace says the program starts Europe toward a new approach to chemical regulation, although "major loopholes in REACH will still allow many chemicals that can cause serious health problems to continue to be used in manufacturing and consumer goods."