Allison Tracy is a Chemicals Policy Fellow. Richard Denison, Ph.D., is a Senior Scientist.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued a press release on Tuesday announcing the addition of seven chemicals to the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) under the European Union’s REACH Regulation. [Update 6/20/11: The formal addition of these substances to the candidate list, the initial announcement of which this post addressed, happened today. See ECHA’s press release, which also contains some additional information about the uses of these chemicals. The full candidate list including these seven substances is available here.]
All of the chemicals are officially classified as Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Reproductive toxicants (CMRs). Their addition brings the total number of chemicals on the Candidate List to 53. Adding a chemical to REACH’s Candidate List is the first step toward subjecting it to REACH’s Authorization process, whereby the chemical can be used only if specifically authorized by EU authorities.
In this brief post we present a bit more information on these latest seven SVHCs, including the extent of their presence in U.S. commerce and their main uses.
The table below presents information (together with linked sources) on each of the seven chemicals, including:
- the specific hazard characteristic(s) that led to their identification as SVHCs;
- available information on how the chemicals are used, drawn from any of several U.S. and foreign sources;
- whether they were reported as being manufactured in the U.S. in the 2006 reporting cycle of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Inventory Update Reporting (IUR) program, and, if so, in what volume range; and
- whether or not the chemicals have been registered under REACH (if so, a link to the registration dossier is provided).
A few interesting observations:
- At least six of the seven Substances of Very High Concern are reported as being manufactured in the U.S., according to the 2006 IUR data. (The seventh may also be manufactured here and not reported in the 2006 IUR due either to its falling below the reporting threshold of 25,000 pounds per year per site, or to its identity having been declared to be confidential.)
- Four of the seven are High Production Volume (HPV) chemicals (manufactured in amounts exceeding one million pounds annually) in the U. S., according to the 2006 IUR data. Another falls just under that production level.
- Use information is generally more readily available from foreign sources – REACH, the European Chemical Substances Information System (ESIS), the OECD – than it is from the EPA’s IUR. Much of the use information reported under the IUR is designated by the submitters as Confidential Business Information (CBI), Not Readily Obtainable (NRO) or is simply not reported.
- For four of the seven chemicals, online REACH dossiers summarizing use, hazard and exposure-relevant data are already available; see links in the rightmost column.
| Name | CAS # | Classification | Commercial/ Consumer Uses | Industrial Uses | 2006 IUR | REACH registered |
| 2-ethoxy-ethyl-acetate | 111-15-9 | ESIS*: Category 2 Reproductive Toxicant: May impair fertility. May cause harm to the unborn child. | IUR**: Product category is reported as Not Readily Obtainable (NRO); use in children’s products is reported as negative or NRO SIN List***: Paints, adhesives, glues, cosmetics, leather, wood stains, semi-conductors, photographic and photolithographic | IUR: Variably reported as Confidential Business Information (CBI), Not Readily Obtainable (NRO), or an intermediate reactant | Yes: More than 1 billion lbs/yr | No |
| strontium chromate | 7789-06-2 | ESIS: Category 2 Carcinogen: May cause cancer. | IUR: Product category and use in children’s products is not reported | IUR: Industrial function not reported REACH: Formulation and packaging of strontium chromate containing coatings; aerospace application; coil coating; vehicle coating | Yes: <500,000 lbs/yr | Yes |
| 1,2-benzenedi-carboxylic acid, di-C7-11 branched and linear alkyl esters (DHNUP) | 68515-42-4 | ESIS: Category 2 Reproductive Toxicant: May cause harm to the unborn child; and Category 3 Reproductive Toxicant: Possible risk of impaired fertility. | EPA: Inert ingredient in some non-food use pesticides Health Canada: Plasticized PVC products; automotive sealants; plasticized high-end luggage; construction use for elastomeric roof and barrier coatings, geomembranes, tarpaulins, flashing cement, wood filler, wood and stone hardener, caulk, sanding sealer and high-solids lacquer | No | No | |
| 1,2-benzenedi-carboxylic acid, di-C6-8-branched alkyl esters, C7-rich (DIHP) | 71888-89-6 | ESIS: Category 2 Reproductive Toxicant: May cause harm to the unborn child. | IUR: Product category and use in children’s products is claimed CBI OECD: Plasticizer for PVC resins mainly used in flooring products | IUR: Industrial function is claimed CBI | Yes: 50-100 million lbs/yr | No |
| hydrazine | 302-01-2 | ESIS: Category 2 Carcinogen: May cause cancer. | IUR: Product category and use in children’s products is not reported SIN List: boiler feedwater, metal coatings on glass & plastics, pesticides, water treatment, polymers and polymer additives, antioxidants, photography, xerography, and dyes | IUR: Variably reported as NRO, a reducing agent, and a lubricant REACH: Corrosion inhibitor in steam generating and heating systems; intermediate; monomer; reducing agent; stabilizing reagent; laboratory reagent | Yes: 1-10 million lbs/yr | Yes |
| 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone | 872-50-4 | ESIS: Category 2 Reproductive Toxicant: May cause harm to the unborn child. | IUR: Product category is variably reported as CBI, NRO, paints and coatings, and electrical and electronic products; use in children’s products is reported as CBI, NRO, or negative REACH: professional cleaning agent; binder and release agent; professional coatings; road and construction applications | IUR: Variably reported as CBI, NRO, Other, an intermediate, a solvent or a processing aid REACH: laboratory reagent; binder and release agent; industrial cleaning agents; oil field drilling and oil production; industrial coatings; water treatment chemicals; agrochemical use | Yes: 100-500 million lbs/yr | Yes |
| 1,2,3-trichloro-propane | 96-18-4 | ESIS: Category 2 Carcinogen: May cause cancer; and Category 2 Reproductive Toxicant: May impair fertility. | IUR: Product category and use in children’s products is not reported | IUR: Intermediate reactant REACH: Use as an intermediate and as a starting monomer | Yes: 500,000-1 million lbs/yr | Yes |
| 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, di-C6-8-branched alkyl esters, C7-rich (DIHP) | 71888-89-6 | Reproductive Toxicant: May cause harm to the unborn child. | IUR: Product category and use in children’s products is claimed CBI OECD: Plasticizer for PVC resins mainly used in flooring products | IUR: Industrial function is claimed CBI | Yes: 50-100 million lbs/yr | No |
* To view the European Chemical Substances Information System (ESIS) data for a chemical, follow the link, select “CAS#” from the left pull-down menu, and enter the CAS number in the search box.
** To view the IUR data for a chemical, follow the link and enter the CAS number in the search box.
*** To view the SIN List data for a chemical, follow the link and enter the CAS number in the search box.