FOLLOWAll the regulations

In the European Union, chemicals were first recorded in 1981. Since then, European legislation has distinguished between:the chemicals that came on the market before 1981 (when they were counted and found to be 100,106 substances), the so-called “existing substances” and the chemicals that came on the market after 1981, the so-called “new substances” (about 4,000 to date ). The European Union, in order to obtain the necessary information and to achieve the safe use of chemicals, decided to formulate its own policy in this area, which resulted in the creation of the REACH Regulation.

The REACH regulation places the responsibility for the safety of chemicals on the manufacturers and attempts to produce information on chemicals that have been lacking until now. It aims to ensure a high level of protection of human health and the environment, through the production and dissemination of information on chemicals and especially safety information and with the aim of making the latter available to everyone, up to the consumer. In addition, it aims to strengthen the competitiveness of the EU chemical industry, because it requires that imported chemicals from other countries comply with the regulation.

REACH aims to create a high level of protection against the risks that chemicals can pose to human health and the environment through the production and dissemination of information on chemicals and, above all, safety information. The regulation looks forward to a sustainable and competitive chemical industry in the EU. which can be renewed more easily and whose products will be of high quality. This will increase consumer confidence, reduce the risks of passive exposure to chemicals and improve employee health. Users will enjoy the same benefits and know more about the chemicals they use. In addition, REACH will help comply with the international obligation agreed at the 2002 Johannesburg Conference on Sustainable Development to “achieve, by 2020, that chemicals will be used and produced in ways that minimize significant hostile effects on human health and the environment “.

The term R.E.A.CH is the abbreviation for the words: Registration, Evaluation, and Authorization of Chemicals.

The VOC regulation includes all those substances that are released (mainly solvents) during the application and drying of paints, but also various other chemical products.

These released substances have a negative impact on human health and the environment. They contribute to the increase of ozone in the troposphere and its decrease in the stratosphere, with all the consequent negative effects, they contribute to the greenhouse effect, but mainly they are extremely harmful to human health, causing respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, some and reproductive disorders.

The European Union has decided to reduce anthropogenic emissions and drafted Directive 2004/42 / EC laying down limits on the content of solvents, mainly in paints and varnishes, but also on various other products in which it was deemed necessary. Any product that complies with its limits is a product with low Volatile Organic Compounds (Low VOC).

The EU Directive provided for two phases of adjustment of producers to the lower quantities: one from 1-1-2007 and one from 1-1-2010.

It also provided for the label on the container to indicate the maximum WTO / VOC content of the ready-to-use products, the sub-category to which they belong and the WTO / VOC limit value of the sub-category provided for in the Directive itself.

The initials VOC come from the words: Volatile Organic Compounds.