Posted on December 28, 2011 by David Wagner

Thirteen More Substances Proposed for EU Ban

This post was written by David Wagner.

As we discussed early in 2011, the European Commission agreed to ban six substances under the European Union’s REACH law. Now, with the year winding down, 13 more substances have been submitted to the Commission for inclusion of the list of banned substances. On December 21, the European Chemicals Agency formally submitted to the European Commission a list of 13 substances it said should be banned under REACH. If a ban is imposed, companies will be able to request authorization to continue to use the substances in specific cases if no alternatives are available.

The substances are seven chromium compounds (chromium trioxide, chromic acid, sodium dichromate, potassium dichromate, ammonium dichromate, potassium chromate, and sodium chromate), five cobalt compounds (cobalt sulphate, cobalt dichloride, cobalt dinitrate, cobalt carbonate, and cobalt diacetate), and the solvent trichloroethylene. These thirteen substances already are listed as “substances of very high concern” under REACH.

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Posted on April 19, 2011 by David Wagner

REACH: An Enforcement Update

This post was written by Paul Dillon.

In the months leading up to the REACH first registration date on 1 December 2010, the focus of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) was understandably on the 25,000 registration dossiers submitted. But the ECHA’s focus is shifting and it is now turning its attention to compliance. This comprehensive client bulletin identifies 10 REACH enforcement trends in Member States and what to expect from regulators in the near future, including site inspections. It then recommends ways to prepare for an inspection.

 

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Posted on June 24, 2010 by David Wagner

In the EU, 8 More Substances Added to the REACH Candidate List

This post was written by David Wagner.

On June 18, the European Chemicals Agency added eight substances to its Candidate List of “Substances of Very High Concern” under REACH, bringing the total to 38. A chemical’s placement on the Candidate List may lead to the phase out or restriction of that substance. The newly added substances are ammonium dichromate, boric acid, disodium tetraborate, potassium chromate, potassium dichromate, sodium chromate, tetraboron disodium heptaoxide, and trichloroethylene.

Although these substances are not formally restricted, the addition of substances to the Candidate List triggers obligations for manufacturers and importers. Most noteworthy is the requirement to provide safety data sheets to their customers for listed substances. Producers of products containing the substances must also provide safe-use information to consumers on request.  Additional obligations, including future requirements, can be found here.

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