By Jeff Mason, Reuters

STRASBOURG, France - The European Parliament, seeking to protect the public from toxic substances, backed a landmark new law on Thursday that has pitted Europe's chemicals industry against environmental groups for years.

Lawmakers voted in favour of an amended bill on Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH), designed to make companies prove that substances in everyday products such as cars, computers or paint are safe.

The properties of roughly 30,000 chemicals produced or imported in the European Union would have to be registered with a central agency. Those of highest concern, such as carcinogens, would require testing and authorisation to be used.

The EU legislature voted 407-155 for the legislation with 41 abstentions. The rules must still be agreed by EU member states, possibly as early as next month, and may have to come back to parliament before they can become a law.

The amendments approved included a compromise that substantially reduced the number of chemicals requiring testing.

Lawmakers also supported a measure that would force firms to substitute safe chemicals for hazardous ones when alternatives are available.

GREENS DISAPPOINTED

Environmental and consumer activists hailed the vote on substitution for dangerous substances but criticised the decision to reduce the number of chemicals that require testing.

"A REACH adopted on this basis will not deliver the health and environment protection the public needs, as it would leave thousands of chemicals without basic toxicity data," seven groups including Greenpeace and WWF said in a joint statement.

A majority of members of the Greens parliamentary group also voted against it, said Swedish member Carl Schlyter.

"Now the REACH registration phase is so weak, we will not know what safe alternatives are on the market because we will test much fewer chemicals," he told Reuters.

Industry had supported lowering the number of chemicals requiring tests to ease the burden on smaller firms.

The European Commission, original author of REACH, forecasts it will cost the chemical industry 2.3 billion euros over 11 years. Total costs to industry -- including sectors like metals, textiles, electronics and cars -- are estimated between 2.8 billion and 5.2 billion euros.

Germany, Europe's largest chemicals producer with giants like BASF and Bayer, secured a delay in a decision by member states due this month, but Britain, which holds the EU presidency, aims for political agreement this year.

The United States and African nations have said REACH would disrupt trade and hurt their industries.