Comparing socio-economic benefits and risks of chemicals using socio-economic analysis in the context of REACH

Abstract : According to the definition given by the European Chemicals Agency1 , socio-economic analysis (SEA) is a method to evaluate what costs and benefits an action will create for society by comparing what will happen if this action is implemented as compared to the situation where it is not. The analysis typically attempts to include also those effects that are indirect or incompletely reflected by market transactions.