As the European Commission spokesperson for Research, Innovation and Science, I wish to correct your misleadingly entitled News report 'Crucial data on REACH not disclosed' (Nature 464, 1116–1117; 2010).

The commission refutes as factually and contextually incorrect any suggestion that “crucial data” were not disclosed. As toxicologist Thomas Hartung's case is ongoing, the commission cannot comment further on his claims, or on the proceedings to ascertain potential previous instances of professional misconduct.

However, the facts are as follows. In the longer term, REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) should reduce animal testing. But an assessment completed by the commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in September 2006 suggested that a minimum of 8 million to 9 million additional animals would be required in the short- to medium-term. A summary of this assessment was published on the website of the JRC Institute for Health and Consumer Protection on 27 November 2006 (and not in January 2007).

Contrary to your report, the assessment was therefore continuously publicly available throughout the period when the European Parliament approved REACH on 13 December 2006 and when national ministers in the Council of the European Union approved it definitively in summer 2007. A slightly amended version of the assessment containing a disclaimer was published on 16 December 2006 (see http://go.nature.com/ZMguvW).

This document has been superseded by a more recent assessment by the European Chemicals Agency, which confirms the approximate figure of 8 million to 9 million animals. The commission is a stakeholder in the agency (see http://go.nature.com/uw79bC).

The commission emphasizes that the work of its JRC is collaborative with national and international partners, and that its assessments are never the view of one individual. In performing its mission of scientific and technical support, the JRC follows stringent quality-management and peer-review procedures.