Substances of very high concern (SVHC)

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The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on June 14, 2023, that it has added two new chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC). One is toxic for reproduction, and the other has very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) hazardous properties. According to ECHA, their uses include in inks and toners…

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 15, 2023, that it released its Regulatory Strategy for Flame Retardants, identifying aromatic brominated flame retardants as candidates for a European Union (EU)-wide restriction. ECHA states that aromatic brominated flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are generally…

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…

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…

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,

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has published two calls for evidence on amending Annex 14 of UK REACH to include the following substances:

In December 2021, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommended which substances of very high concern (SVHC) are a priority…

On May 18, 2022, the High Level Roundtable on the Implementation of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) held its third meeting. During the meeting, the European Commission (EC) provided an update on the state of implementation of the CSS. According to the written report, main achievements since the last meeting of the…

The Swedish Member State Competent Authority (MSCA) proposed that N-(Hydroxymethyl)acrylamide is a substance of very high concern (SVHC) due to its carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. There are 14 active registrations of the substance and it is imported or manufactured in the European Economic Area (EEA) in volumes of 1,000 to 10,000 metric tons per year.…

ECHA announced on February 2, 2022, that the SCIP database has seven million searchable article notifications received from nearly 7,000 companies across the EU. The database is searchable by article name, brand, product category, type of material, chemical name, or SCIP number. According to ECHA, the information “helps consumers to make more informed and sustainable…

ECHA announced on February 2, 2022, that it is considering recommending eight new substances for the EC to include in the Authorization List (REACH Annex XIV). The substances include:

Substances

SVHC-Relevant Intrinsic Property

Examples of Use(s) in the Scope of Authorization

Ethylenediamine

Respiratory sensitizing properties

Use as processing aid, scavenging agent in refinery streams, corrosion

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