Publication
01 Apr 1999

Developments related to the Existing Substances Regulation

Council Regulation (EEC) 793/93 on the evaluation and control of the risks of existing substances, generally known as the ‘Existing Substances Regulation’ was adopted on 23 March 1993 and entered into force 60 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EC on 4 June 1993. The aim of the Existing Substances Regulation is the protection of human health and the environment from exposures to dangerous substances.

The basic principle of the Existing Substances Regulation is that controls on hazardous chemicals should be based on an assessment of the actual risks to human health and the environment, rather than on the intrinsic hazardous properties of the substance. This approach is based on sound science and was supported, and continues to be supported, by CONCAWE and other industries.