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The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 8, 2023, the results of the Enforcement Forum’s European Union (EU)-wide project on inspections of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) authorization duties. During the project, the enforcement authorities of 28 countries carried out 690 inspections at 516 companies. According to ECHA, the most commonly controlled substances of very high concern (SVHC) were chromium trioxide and strontium chromate....

On February 28, 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that it updated its recommendations to improve Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations. According to ECHA, the recommendations are based on ECHA’s findings from registration dossier compliance checks and take recent changes to REACH information requirements into account. The recommendations focus on the rules for using adaptations to assess the safety of chemicals without...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 17, 2023, that it has added nine chemicals to the Candidate List because of their hazardous properties. According to ECHA, the chemicals are used in flame retardants, paints and coatings, inks and toners, coating products, and plasticizers, and in the manufacture of pulp and paper. The chemicals are: Substance Name Reason for Inclusion Examples of Use(s) 1,1′-[ethane-1,2-diylbisoxy]bis[2,4,6-tribromobenzene] Very persistent and very...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 13, 2023, that the national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden have submitted a proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. ECHA will publish the detailed proposal, “one of the broadest in the [European Union’s (EU)] history,” on February 7, 2023. According to ECHA, the national...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has received restriction proposals for: 4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol (bisphenol A) and other bisphenols and bisphenol derivatives with endocrine disrupting properties for the environment, prepared by the German authority. The proposal would restrict the use as an additive and the content in articles (0.02 percent by weight); restrict content of residues (unreacted monomer) in articles and for imported goods (0.02 percent by weight); restrict the use of...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently reminded only representatives (OR) that they must identify the non-European Union (EU) manufacturers that they represent and provide their contact information in REACH-IT by October 14, 2022. According to an April 24, 2022, news item, ORs must have a separate REACH-IT account for each non-EU manufacturer they represent and have the necessary registrations for each. The contact information that must be...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has begun public consultations on nine proposals to identify new substances of very high concern (SVHC). The substances and examples of their uses are: 4,4′-sulphonyldiphenol (bisphenol S; BPS): The substance is used for the manufacture of pulp, paper, and paper products; textile, leather, or fur; and chemicals. Perfluoroheptanoic acid and its salts: The substances are not registered under the Registration,...

According to an item in the August 10, 2022, ECHA Weekly, France, Ireland, and Germany are requesting interested parties to submit information related to skin sensitizing substances in consumer mixtures. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) website states that this is an opportunity for all sectors to provide information on the presence of skin sensitizing substances in mixtures with consumer uses, including information on known safe uses. The call for evidence is issued to assess whether...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recently reminded registrants of substances with a harmonized classification to update their dossiers. According to an item in the July 13, 2022, ECHA Weekly, ECHA will soon begin a second screening project to check that companies are keeping their registrations updated. The project will focus on substances with a harmonized classification and labeling and will examine registrations where this information is not...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on June 10, 2022, that n-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide has been added to the Candidate List as it may cause cancer or genetic defects. According to ECHA, it is mostly used in polymers and when manufacturing other chemicals, textiles, leather, or fur. Candidate List substances may be placed on the Authorization List in the future. If a substance is on that list, its use will be prohibited unless companies apply for authorization...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published an item in its May 11, 2022, ECHA Weekly announcing that it is launching consultations to support the Member State Committee (MSC) in adopting an opinion on whether 4,4’-methylenediphenol (BPF), 4,4’-[2,2,2-trifluoro-1-(trifluoromethyl)ethylidene]diphenol (BPAF), and eight BPAF salts meet the criteria for endocrine disrupting substances for the environment, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO)/International Program on Chemical...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) implemented new checks on Chemical Safety Reports (CSR) submitted via European Union (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registration dossiers since March 1, 2021, so that it can “better fulfil” its obligation to ensure that registrations meet the information requirements. ECHA’s CSR manual completeness check includes the following elements: The CSR must contain an exposure assessment and risk...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) reports on the effectiveness of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) authorization process. TCE was added to the authorization list (Annex XIV) in 2013 because of its carcinogenic properties. The substance cannot be placed on the market, or used, unless an authorization is granted by the European Commission (EC) or an exemption applies. REACH registration data show that 50,000 metric tons of trichloroethylene (TCE)...

The European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Socio Economic Assessment Committee (SEAC) has reviewed Norway’s restriction proposal for 1,6,7,8,9,14,15,16,17,17,18,18-Dodecachloropentacyclo[12.2.1.16,9.02,13.05,10]octadeca-7,15-diene (Dechlorane Plus™) and requests further information from stakeholders. Norway has identified several restriction options and each affects the manufacture, use, and placing the substance on the market in concentrations >0.1 percent, with possible derogations....

The European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) update for the years 2022–2024 lists 27 substances suspected of posing a risk to human health or the environment. Two of the substances are new to the evaluation process and the other 25 are existing. The two new substances are: Substance name Initial grounds of concern 1,3,4,6,7,8- hexahydro4,6,6,7,8,8- hexamethylindeno[5 ,6-c]pyran Potential endocrine disruptor, suspected persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic...