{"id":1666,"date":"2011-12-21T16:32:17","date_gmt":"2011-12-21T21:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/nanotechnology\/?p=1666"},"modified":"2024-02-12T11:01:19","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T16:01:19","slug":"the-a-in-reach-takes-off-20-chemicals-headed-to-the-candidate-list-and-13-to-authorization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2011\/12\/21\/the-a-in-reach-takes-off-20-chemicals-headed-to-the-candidate-list-and-13-to-authorization\/","title":{"rendered":"REACH starts to earn its “A”: 20 chemicals headed to the Candidate List and 13 to Authorization"},"content":{"rendered":"

Allison Tracy is a Chemicals Policy Fellow. <\/em>Richard Denison, Ph.D.<\/em>, is a Senior Scientist. <\/em><\/p>\n

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has been busy this week implementing the EU’s chemical regulation, REACH (short for R<\/span>egistration, E<\/span>valuation, A<\/span>uthorization and Restriction of Ch<\/span>emicals).<\/p>\n

On Monday, ECHA announced it has added 20 more Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) to REACH’s Candidate List<\/a>.\u00a0 These SVHCs are now eligible for later addition to Annex XIV<\/a>, the list of SVHCs subject to Authorization.<\/p>\n

Separately, the agency today forwarded its final recommendation that 13 chemicals already on the Candidate List be formally added to Annex XIV.\u00a0 (We had blogged earlier<\/a>\u00a0about ECHA’s initial recommendation proposing these 13 SVHCs for Authorization.)\u00a0 If the European Commission confirms this addition, after a specified sunset date, the use of these will be allowed only if specifically authorized by EU authorities.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Additions to the Candidate List<\/strong><\/p>\n

ECHA announced the addition of 20 chemicals to the\u00a0Candidate List<\/a>\u00a0of Substances of Very High Concern through a press release<\/a> issued on Monday.\u00a0 The release also notifies companies of obligations triggered by the new status of these chemicals.\u00a0 The addition of these 20 chemicals is a significant step in several ways.<\/p>\n

First, the flagging of these chemicals as Substances of Very High Concern is bound to prompt market responses in Europe and beyond.\u00a0 Chemical Watch’s evaluation of innovation under REACH<\/a> (subscription required) notes that placing a chemical on the Candidate List is a strong motivator for substitution, just as ECHA projected in a 2007 report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Second, some or all of these chemicals may ultimately be included in Annex XIV for Authorization, which bans or curtails the uses of a listed chemical (see more detail in the section on Authorization below).<\/p>\n

Third, one of the 20 chemicals \u2013 4-tert-octylphenol (which ECHA identifies using its more formal name 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol) \u2013 is the first to be identified as a SVHC based on endocrine-disrupting activity.\u00a0 That activity has triggered the criterion that allows ECHA to identify a chemical of “equivalent concern” as a SVHC and add it to the Candidate List.\u00a0 Using “equivalent concern” as the justification for this candidate chemical is an important milestone in the management of health risks posed by endocrine disruptors.<\/p>\n

Of the remaining 19 chemicals, 12 were added due to their status as carcinogens while six others were added because they are toxic to reproduction.\u00a0 One chemical was both a carcinogen and toxic to reproduction. \u00a0(See here<\/a> for ECHA’s description of the various criteria REACH delineates for identifying SVHCs.\u00a0 With the addition of these 20 chemicals, the Candidate List now has 73 listings that include 79 unique Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registration numbers.)<\/p>\n

Our analysis of the 18 new chemicals with CAS numbers (two of the 20 do not have CAS numbers) yielded the following information on their presence in U.S. commerce:<\/p>\n