European Commission Website:
"Our well-being in society depends for a large part on chemicals. Chemicals are everywhere, and are an essential component of our daily lives. At the same time, some chemicals can severely damage our health. Others could be dangerous if not properly used. There is a worrying increase in health problems that can be partially explained by the use of chemicals. Some man-made chemicals are found in the most remote places in the environment, but also in animals and humans. In the mid-nineties, the increased insight in the possible negative effect of chemicals led to the awareness, that the EU legislation then in force did not and could not provide sufficient information about chemicals to judge scientifically. The EU was on an unsustainable course in the chemicals sector. "
