8.3.0 Introductie

The focus of this chapter is not to elaborate on the technical provisions regarding how and when to register what type of chemicals, but to address the following question: which rights have consumers gained under the Regulation?

The common principle of REACH is the "duty of care", which is "based on the principle that the production, import and marketing of substances should be carried out with such responsibility and care as may be required to ensure that neither human health nor the environment is adversely affected".1 In this framework, the business actors have acquired a responsibility to assess the risk profile of chemicals and a duty to communicate that information onwards. The following section will discuss the precise scope of this responsibility.