Europe has rolled out new restrictions on manufacturers of products containing chemicals linked to cancer and other health problems. These changes are forcing U.S. industries to find new ways to produce a wide range of everyday products.
The new laws in the European Union require companies to demonstrate that a chemical is safe before it enters commerce. This is the opposite of policies in the United States, where regulators must prove that a chemical is harmful before it can be restricted or removed from the market.
The European laws were adamantly opposed by the U.S. chemical industry and the Bush administration. American manufacturers are already searching for safer alternatives to chemicals used to make thousands of consumer goods.