{"id":123844,"date":"2025-09-18T17:23:28","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T16:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/the-5-risks-of-not-substituting-chemicals\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T12:52:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T11:52:28","slug":"the-5-risks-of-not-substituting-chemicals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/en-us\/blog\/the-five-risks-of-not-substituting-chemicals\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 risks of not substituting chemicals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are many reasons to substitute chemicals and choose less <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/blog\/identifying-chemical-hazards\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hazardous chemicals<\/a> to reduce risks at your workplace. But if you don\u2019t substitute, what are the consequences? This blog aims to answer this question. We will also take a look at success stories of companies that have chosen less hazardous chemicals for their products.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the US <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Occupational Safety and Health Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)<\/a>, 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/safer-chemicals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">estimated<\/a> that workers suffer more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths annually as a result of exposure to hazardous chemicals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you do not<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/chemical-safety\/chemical-management-software\/chemical-substitution-software\/\"> substitute hazardous chemicals<\/a> and substances to less harmful ones, your company could face significant risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Table of contents<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click on a specific section below to navigate to that area:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#exposing\">1. Exposing your employees to unnecessary harm<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#facing\">2. Facing emerging risks&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#unnecessary\">3. Unnecessary harm to the environment\u00a0<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#becoming\">4. Becoming a less attractive employer&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#missing\">5. Missing out on competitive advantages<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#success\">6. Success stories of companies who work with substitution&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"exposing\">1. Exposing your employees to unnecessary harm&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ilo.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-07\/wcms_811455%20%284%29.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">International Labour Organizations<\/a> 2021 global report, it was estimated that 2.3 million workers in the US were occupationally exposed to silica. Inhalation of c-silica is widely accepted to cause lung cancer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"facing\">2. Facing emerging risks&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The world is always changing. New technologies and legislation are two areas that can affect the use of chemicals in your workplace.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New chemicals are being created every day. During the last 50 years the production of chemicals has increased from 7 million tons to 400 million tons. We don\u2019t know everything about these chemicals and therefore the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has created the largest database on chemicals in the world, containing information about 140,000 chemicals and 22,667 unique substances.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of these are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/blog\/substances-of-very-high-concern-updated\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">substances of very high concern<\/a> (SVHCs) and you can find them on the <a href=\"https:\/\/echa.europa.eu\/candidate-list-table\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Candidate List<\/a> 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>OSHA (US) maintains a list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/laws-regs\/regulations\/standardnumber\/1910\/1910.119AppA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Highly Hazardous Chemicals, Toxics and Reactives<\/a>. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also maintains a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/tsca-inventory\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chemical inventory<\/a> under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This list contains more than 86,000 chemicals. The TCSA operates via a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca\/how-epa-evaluates-safety-existing-chemicals\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">three-stage processthree-stage process<\/a> of prioritization, risk assessment and risk management.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/services\/canadian-environmental-protection-act-registry\/substances-list\/domestic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Domestic Substance List<\/a>) and 2) new substances (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/services\/managing-pollution\/evaluating-new-substances.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">New Substances Notification Regulations<\/a> (Chemicals and Polymers). The DSL contains more than 28 000 substances.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also preferable to be prepared when other legislation is tightened. As an example, to switch to petrol or electric cars before diesel cars are banned, so you don\u2019t have to buy two cars in a short period of time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"unnecessary\">3. Unnecessary harm to the environment&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During manufacturing and use of the products, chemicals are being released into the environment. <a href=\"https:\/\/wwf.panda.org\/discover\/knowledge_hub\/teacher_resources\/webfieldtrips\/toxics\/?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hazardous man-made chemicals<\/a> have contaminated every environment and wildlife.&nbsp; According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usgs.gov\/mission-areas\/water-resources\/science\/agricultural-contaminants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">US Geological Survey<\/a> (USGS), agricultural contaminants such as nutrients and pesticides are the leading source of impairments in the country\u2019s rivers and lakes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another major source of concern is the presence of Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), also known as \u2018forever chemicals\u2019 in drinking water. Used mainly in manufacturing, these chemicals have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hse.ie\/eng\/services\/list\/1\/environ\/water\/faqs-on-pfas-in-drinking-water.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">possible links<\/a> to harmful health effects on humans and animals. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/environment-climate-change\/services\/evaluating-existing-substances\/state-per-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-report.html%22%20\/l%20%22toc105\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent report<\/a> by the Canadian government found that multiple PFAS \u201c<em>are widely present and co-occur in the environment, in wildlife, and in humans\u201d <\/em>across Canada, including in arctic and subarctic regions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"becoming\">4. Becoming a less attractive employer&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you choose not to substitute chemicals at your workplace you risk becoming a less attractive employer<a href=\"https:\/\/6q.io\/blog\/creating-a-healthy-workplace-environment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">. Employees will care for the company they are working for<\/a> if they know that they are being looked after. Putting effort into employee wellness can encourage better teamwork, increase productivity and reduce sick leave and workplace accidents.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Work-related health problems result in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/protecting-workers'-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">economic loss of 4\u20136% of GDP<\/a> 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 2024-2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercer.com\/assets\/global\/en\/shared-assets\/global\/attachments\/pdf-mercer-2024-2025-global-talent-trends.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Global Talent Trends survey<\/a> by Mercer found that when asked what they expect from their company on sustainability, employees\u2019 top priority was \u201coffering minimum health and well-being benefits to all workers \u2014 yet only one-third of organizations have done so\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"missing\">5. Missing out on competitive advantages&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When other companies substitute to less harmful substances and chemicals, they will be able to market the new product as \u201cBPA-free\u201d for example, which will give them a competitive advantage if your company chooses not to substitute.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In recent years we have seen major growth within the sustainable marketplace. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessnewsdaily.com\/15087-consumers-want-sustainable-products.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">survey by Accenture<\/a> more than 80% of survey participants said they felt it was \u201cimportant or extremely important\u201d for companies to design environmentally conscious products.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\" id=\"success\">6. Success stories of companies who work with substitution&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BPA-free products in France&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that has been used since the 1960\u2019s. 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2014 France proposed to restrict BPA in thermal papers. They also made it easier for companies to find safer alternatives they could substitute for on a website.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Aur\u00e9lien Gouzy of INERIS, the French national competence centre for industrial safety and environmental protection explains:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe 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 \u2018BPA-free label\u2019, which could be issued to every company with a BPA-free policy.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>COOP Denmark&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/echa.europa.eu\/safer-products-for-consumers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">COOP<\/a> 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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cConsumers in Denmark are well educated about food and product safety. This translates to a strong demand for safer and cleaner products from their retailers\u201d, says Malene Teller, head of sustainability and social compliance from COOP Denmark.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-medium-font-size\"><strong>In Summary&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exposure to dangerous substances is a major health and safety issue. Make sure you are aware of health and safety legislation in both the US and Canada, on both a federal and state\/province level.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Get in control of your chemicals and the risks with a chemical management system including substance registers and legislation lists&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can lower and eliminate risks by substituting hazardous chemicals&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>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.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecoonline.com\/en-us\/chemical-safety\/chemical-management-software\/chemical-substitution-software\/\">Chemical substitution software<\/a> can make the process much easier, while ensuring that each step is properly documented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"Pegasus__Container w-full    text-content-dark is-layout-flow wp-block-pegasus-container-is-layout-flow\" style=\"   \" >\n\t        \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t        \t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"relative h-full is-flex-layout flex flex-col justify-start  \"><\/div>\n\t\t\n\t        <\/section>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"hs-cta-embed hs-cta-simple-placeholder hs-cta-embed-254078947529\"\u2028  style=\"max-width:100%; max-height:100%; width:1200px;height:369px\" data-hubspot-wrapper-cta-id=\"254078947529\">\u2028  <a href=\"https:\/\/cta-eu1.hubspot.com\/web-interactives\/public\/v1\/track\/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLkUYNqzJZuVN%2BjkM%2FmiP0gM4ac90tL7SiVKgTL0ZJ%2Bu2XbQc52sgonDFIWIe63lXrW%2FMBkCCgEqLq6Ktd2PZqVBjhMpjSNneZaaFwrXAZSbBAW0XpjlmiyoUvH4xwv%2BBQ66T%2BwL607PiyLnb%2B9S%2BfI4OQiHwEDCosfr6%2F2NS08qBXT2WevlIKL2lv5%2FRQ9L38XSA1jjMVZtL7j5wz6my%2BISfc%3D&#038;webInteractiveContentId=254078947529&#038;portalId=144606870\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\">\u2028    <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"coshh risk assessment quiz\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/hubspot-no-cache-eu1-prod.s3.amazonaws.com\/cta\/default\/144606870\/interactive-254078947529.png\" style=\"height: 100%; width: 100%; object-fit: fill\"\u2028      onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\" \/>\u2028  <\/a>\u2028<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many reasons to substitute chemicals and choose less hazardous chemicals to reduce risks at your workplace. But if you don\u2019t substitute, what are the consequences?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":119789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"category":[282],"tags":[],"item-type":[],"class_list":["post-123844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chemical-safety-en-us"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 5 risks of not substituting chemicals | EcoOnline<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the risks of not substituting hazardous chemicals and see how companies benefit from choosing safer alternatives.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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