CBI deputy director general John Cridland

European Commission plans to regulate dangerous chemicals have come under fire from British business leaders.

The CBI has warned that the European Union chemicals strategy, known as REACH, could "decimate" the UK chemical industry.

Under the plans, which have not yet been approved, chemical manufacturers will be required to conduct a safety assessment and register the substances that they produce.

If unaltered, the plans would force EU chemicals companies to bear the cost of testing in excess of 30,000 substances which could lead to thousands of jobs being lost to competitors in Asia, the CBI warned.

The testing programme could cost up to £6 billion "and could be the death knell for some companies in the chemical industry", the business lobby group warned.

"The right mix of carrot and stick can produce gains for both business and the environment but politicians must understand that these chemicals proposals fail the test of good regulation and must be redesigned," said CBI deputy director general John Cridland.

"An extra burden on this scale will drive jobs away to countries such as China which will not have to test even if the final products are imported into the EU."

The CBI's warning echoes concerns previously expressed by the UK Chemicals Industries Association, which has called for existing plans to overhauled "from the bottom up".

The association warned that a lack of prioritisation for examining those chemicals that could pose the greatest risks would lead to a "huge duplication of testing".

"We have always supported the political aims of the EU chemicals policy and acknowledged that the existing legislation needs to be replaced because it is ineffective," CIA director general Judith Hackitt has said.

The latest warnings come as a new poll finds growing public scepticism about who can be trusted to tell the truth about the risks of chemicals in household goods.

A poll by MORI for the Scientific Alliance found widespread doubts over the credibility of environmental activists, various types of scientist, government and the media.

"There is an urgent need for a well-informed debate about chemicals based on sound science," said the alliance's Professor Tom Addiscott.

"Without it, we are in danger of jeopardising our future in important areas of science and technology and missing out on key advancements in health."