EU REACH

December 7, 2016 | Written by GreenSoft Technology, Inc.

ECHA Proposes Prioritizing 9 SVHCs for REACH Authorisation List

SVHCs Prioritized for REACH Annex XIV Authorisation List

In November, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) recommended prioritizing the addition of nine Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) to the EU REACH Annex XIV Authorisation List. There are currently 31 substances on the Authorisation List.

ECHA regularly assesses the substances from the Candidate List to determine which ones should be included in the Authorisation List as a priority. The prioritization is primarily based on the uses and volumes of the in-scope substances on the EU market. ECHA stated that these nine substances are toxic for reproduction and were prioritized due to their high volume and widespread uses which may pose a threat to human health.

Per the REACH regulation, the recommendation to prioritize these nine substances for the REACH Annex XIV Authorisation List comes after a 90-day public consultation period held earlier this year.

The nine SVHCs being called for prioritization are:

1. 1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, dihexyl ester, branched and linear (toxic for reproduction) -- Plasticiser.
2. Dihexyl phthalate (toxic for reproduction) -- Plasticiser.
3. Trixylyl phosphate (toxic for reproduction) -- Lubricants, greases, hydraulic fluids, metal working fluids, plastic products.
4. Sodium perborate; perboric acid, sodium salt (toxic for reproduction) -- Detergents and bleaching products.
5. Sodium peroxometaborate (toxic for reproduction) -- Detergents and bleaching products.
6. Pentalead tetraoxide sulphate (toxic for reproduction) -- Production of batteries.
7. Tetralead trioxide sulphate (toxic for reproduction) -- Production of batteries. Coatings and inks for mirror backing.
8. Orange lead (lead tetroxide) (toxic for reproduction) -- Production of batteries. Adsorbents, paints, lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, explosives, rubber products.
9. Lead monoxide (lead oxide) (toxic for reproduction) -- Production of batteries. Adsorbents, catalysts, lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, rubber products. Surface treatment (plating).

The final decision on the inclusion of the SVHCs in the Authorisation List and their effective dates will be decided by the European Commission in collaboration with the Member States and the European Parliament at a future date.

More information is available on the ECHA website.

A Roadmap for REACH Compliance

Restrictions under the REACH regulation Candidate List are already in place for these nine SVHCs, and the addition of these substances to the Authorization List will place further obligations on manufacturers and distributors of products that currently contain the substances.

Updates to the Candidate List and Authorization List SVHCs restricted under REACH can be expected several times a year. The best practice to comply with this ever-changing regulation is to collect Full Material Declaration (FMD) data on all your parts so that you can be prepared whenever a new substance is restricted.

GreenSoft’s experienced worldwide team can help collect REACH SVHC statements and full-disclosure chemical data for your products and components for you, as well as keep you informed of the evolving regulations. GreenSoft will validate the collected product and component data for accuracy and formatting, and will help identify non-compliant parts and find second sources for non-compliant components. Learn more about GreenSoft's REACH Compliance Services here.