Wallstrom defends Reach program.(United States/Americas)(Brief Article)

European environment commissioner Margot Wallstrom defended the European Union's planned chemical testing program last week at an EU-U.S. chemicals conference held by EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics in Charlottesville, VA. Wallstrom refuted claims by U.S. industry and government officials that the Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals (Reach) program would be too burdensome, too costly, and a barrier to trade.

The current regulatory systems in the U.S. and Europe impede development of new and safer substances, because new substances must go through rigorous testing, while chemicals that have been on the market for decades did not …