Updated April 2025.
There are many reasons to substitute chemicals and choose less hazardous alternatives to reduce risks at your workplace.
But what if you choose not to substitute these chemicals? Afterall, it can be an intensive process that involves assessing, comparing and testing alternatives.
Before you decide it isn’t a priority, make sure you are aware of the consequences of failing to substitute hazardous chemicals. In this blog, we will explore five risks you may face if you don’t consider safer options. We will also take a look at the stories of two businesses who have made the successful transition to less hazardous chemicals for their products.
North American Workplaces
According to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), workers in the US come into contact with thousands of chemicals on a daily basis, some of which are potentially harmful. However, only a small number of these substances are regulated.
It is estimated that workers suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths annually as a result of exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Some substances are now banned or under strict control in both the US and Canada, such as asbestos and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Other substances can be harmful, and you need to make sure they are properly managed.
If you do not substitute hazardous chemicals and substances for less harmful ones, your company could be at risk of the following:
- Compliance issues due to exposing your employees unnecessarily
- Facing emerging risks
- Unnecessary harm to the environment
- Becoming a less attractive employer
- Missing out on competitive advantages
1. Compliance issues due to exposing your employees unnecessarily
There is a range of health problems that can be caused by chemicals, from mild eye irritation to cancer and birth defects. Sometimes the effects can be acute while other chemicals and substances have a cumulative effect and it can take 30 years before the user notices the harm done by such chemicals.
According to the International Labour Organizations 2021 global report, it was estimated that 2.3 million workers in the US were occupationally exposed to silica. The inhalation of c-silica is widely accepted to cause lung cancer.
The same report estimated that 277,000 Canadians were at the time of publishing occupationally exposed to lead. Exposure to lead compounds are particularly dangerous during pregnancy, with potential effects on child development. Chronic exposure is also linked to impaired kidney function.
Employers are required to consider less hazardous substitutions for all chemicals that pose a risk to health or the environment. This consideration is key to showing compliance, even if there are strong reasons not to substitute.
2. Facing emerging risks
The world is always changing. New technologies and legislation are two areas that can affect the use of chemicals in your workplace.
New chemicals are being created every day. During the last 50 years the production of chemicals has increased from 7 million tonnes to 400 million tonnes. We don’t know everything about these chemicals, therefore the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have created the largest database on chemicals in the world, containing information about 360,000 chemicals and 22,667 unique substances.
Some of these are substances of very high concern (SVHCs) and you can find them on the Candidate List for eventual inclusion in the Authorization List. Once they are on the Authorization List, industries need to apply for permission to continue using the substance. As of January 2025, ECHA has added five chemicals to the Candidate list, and updated the listing for one.
OSHA (US) maintains a list of Highly Hazardous Chemicals, Toxics and Reactives. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also maintains a chemical inventory under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This list contains more than 86,000 chemicals. The TCSA operates via a three-stage process of prioritization, risk assessment and risk management.
In Canada, assessing and managing chemical substances is done under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), 1999. There are separate evaluation and assessment lists for 1) substances manufactured in or imported into Canada (The Domestic Substance List) and 2) new substances (New Substances Notification Regulations (Chemicals and Polymers). The DSL contains more than 28 000 substances.
If you do not substitute chemicals that contain substances such as SVHCs you risk having to apply for permission to use the chemical. This is both expensive and time consuming. Your employees and the environment will also be continuously exposed to hazardous chemicals.
It is also preferable to be prepared when other legislation is tightened. For example, switching to petrol or electric cars before diesel cars are banned, so you don’t have to buy two cars in a short period of time.
3. Unnecessary harm to the environment
Many hazardous substances currently exist in low concentrations in plants, animals and humans. When substances are created or extracted by humans, they should not threaten human health or biodiversity. Substances and chemicals are being used all around us in both cosmetics, plastics and computers.
During manufacturing and use of the products, chemicals are being released into the environment. Hazardous man-made chemicals have contaminated every environment and wildlife. According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), agricultural contaminants such as nutrients and pesticides are the leading source of impairments in the country’s rivers and lakes.
Another major source of concern is the presence of Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals’ in drinking water. Used mainly in manufacturing, these chemicals have possible links to harmful health effects in humans and animals. A recent report by the Canadian government found that multiple PFAS “are widely present and co-occur in the environment, in wildlife, and in humans” across Canada, including in arctic and subarctic regions.
4. Becoming a less attractive employer
If you chose not to substitute chemicals at your workplace you risk becoming a less attractive employer. Employees will care for the company they are working for if they know that they are being looked after. Putting effort into employee wellness can encourage better teamwork, increased productivity and reduce sick leave and workplace accidents.
Work-related health problems result in an economic loss of 4–6% of GDP for most countries. The basic health services to prevent occupational and work-related diseases cost on average between US$ 18 and US$ 60 per worker.
The 2024-2025 Global Talent Trends survey by Mercer found that when asked what they expect from their company on sustainability, employees’ top priority was “offering minimum health and well-being benefits to all workers — yet only one-third of organizations have done so”.
5. Missing out on competitive advantages
When other companies substitute to less harmful substances and chemicals, they will be able to market the new product as “BPA-free” for example, which will give them a competitive advantage if your company chooses not to substitute.
In recent years we have seen major growth within the sustainable marketplace. According to a survey by Accenture more than 80% of survey participants said they felt it was “important or extremely important” for companies to design environmentally conscious products.
Success stories of companies who work with substitution
BPA-free products in France
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been used since the 1960’s. Most of it is used in the manufacturing of plastics, but some is used in thermal paper, for example cash registers and credit card terminals. It is also used in bottles for drinks and sports equipment. BPA is classified in the EU as a substance that has toxic effects on our ability to reproduce.
In 2014 France proposed to restrict BPA in thermal papers. They also made it easier for companies to find safer alternatives on the INERIS website.
Dr Aurélien Gouzy of INERIS, the French national competence centre for industrial safety and environmental protection explains:
“We have been very active on BPA in France since 2012, when our government published a national strategy on endocrine disruptors. In line with the strategy, in 2014, the minister of environment asked large distributors and banks to make a voluntary commitment to use bisphenol free thermal paper. INERIS was asked to help in developing ‘BPA-free label’, which could be issued to every company with a BPA-free policy.”
COOP Denmark
COOP has worked hard to ban all packaging containing fluorinated substances. Highly fluorinated substances are used because they can form smooth surfaces and repel water, grease and dirt. Many of these are bioaccumulative, which means that they accumulate in living organisms.
“Consumers in Denmark are well educated about food and product safety. This translates to a strong demand for safer and cleaner products from their retailers”, says Malene Teller, head of sustainability and social compliance from COOP Denmark.
In Summary
- Exposure to dangerous substances is a major safety and health issue. Make sure you are aware of health and safety legislation in the United State and Canada, on both a federal and state/province level.
- Get in control of your chemicals and the risks with a chemical management system including substance registers and legislation lists
- You can lower and eliminate risks by substituting hazardous chemicals
It will take a lot of time and effort to complete the above steps if your organization is still relying on a manual chemical management system.
Chemical substitution software can make the process much easier, while ensuring that each step is properly documented. Click the link below to find out more:
