BRUSSELS - A new European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) commissioned report on chemical substitution in the context of REACH argues that there are "significant opportunities" to accelerate the evaluation and adoption of safer chemical substitutes in the EU. The report also calls for a growth in ECHA and EU member state staffing capacity to support chemical substitution. "As a first step, ECHA could establish a dedicated group of staff with expertise in chemical hazard evaluation, chemistry, technical assessment, and economic analysis that could then provide training and support to other authorities and industry," notes the report, which was written by Joel Tickner and Molly Jacobs from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell Center for Sustainable Production.
