The European Parliament gave the green light on Thursday to a controversial proposal which seeks to radically review the European Union's chemicals policy and improve its chemical safety standards.

Companies will have to prove that the chemicals they use in their products are safe, under the amended bill on registration, evaluation and authorization of chemicals (REACH) passed by the parliament in Strasbourg.

A new European Chemical Agency will be set up to ensure a consistent and uniform evaluation and registration of chemical substances within the EU, according to the bill.

Firms are required to register with the chemical agency any of about 30,000 substances contained within products such as cars, computers and paint, according to the bill.

The most hazardous of these substances, which are to be decided by the new chemical agency, would have to undergo testing before being passed for use.

Companies are also required to replace hazardous chemicals with safe alternatives where possible.

The proposal still needs to be approved by the EU Council to become EU-wide law.

The law would affect firms producing or importing more than one ton of a chemical per year, and put on them a duty to prove that their products are safe.

The law also seeks to improve the labeling of products which contain potentially dangerous substances.

Thursday's vote came after years of fierce battle between health campaigners and businesses, who are concerned about the costs of such regulation, estimated at billions of euros.

(Xinhua News Agency November 18, 2005)