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November 22, 2008 9:45:47 CST

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US Firms Balk at EU Crackdown on Chemicals

Posted Jun 12, 08 1:57 PM CDT in Science & Health,  Business 

(Newser) – The European Union has passed a series of tough new laws requiring companies to prove that the chemicals in their products are safe, the Washington Post reports. The rule is the exact opposite of US law—which requires proof that a chemical is dangerous before it can be regulated—and manufacturers say it will add billions to their costs.

“There's a strong sense in Europe and the world at large that America is letting the market have a free ride,” one professor said. For the first time, manufacturers will have to reveal closely held information about their chemicals, in detailed risk reports. But the added safety and transparency could come with global price hikes.

Source Washington Post

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The European law is the opposite of America's policy; here, a chemical can only be restricted if it is proven to be dangerous.   (Shutterstock)
An employee of German chemical and drug maker Bayer checks a package of Aspirin Plus in the pill plant of the Bayer company in Bitterfeld, eastern Germany, in this July 11, 2005 file picture.   (AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz)
Industrial chemical tanks sit outside a power station in this file photo.   (Shutterstock)
Until now, companies have been able to closely guard the information they have about their chemicals.   (Shutterstock)
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