MYTH: Chemical industry holds back the data and makes use of obsolete scientific methods
The Regulation (EC) № 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) places the producers and importers of chemicals under the obligation to register the substances which they intend to place on the market and to pass the information on those substances along the supply chain. The Material Safety Data Sheet for a hazardous substance/mixture makes an efficient tool for communication in the supply chain on the risk presented by a given substance/mixture. Additionally, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki makes all the registration dossier for substances available on its website, free of charge. The interested parties can find all the information on physical-chemical data as well as on toxicological and eco-toxicological performance of the registered products there, with reference to the data sources.
The phthalate industry supports the research programmes which investigate the human health impacts and environmental impacts of their products. A few billion Euros have been invested over the last 25 years to develop phthalates which now supply a majority of the European market for plasticizers.