Non-food legislation – February 2024

Hazardous substances – Rules and regulations in the EU
ECHA has added five chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs). The list now contains 240 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment.
The EC has sent draft legislation to the WTO that will amend Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 on Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP Regulation).
ECHA’s chemicals database contains information on over 360 000 chemicals. To share this growing amount of information with the public, ECHA recently launched ECHA CHEM. This platform makes the information available online within a stable system and in a user-friendly manner.

Hazardous substances – Rules and regulations outside the EU
Japan: SGS reports that the government has launched a consultation on its proposal to ban PFOA and PFOA-related compounds. Comments are accepted until 1 March 2024.
Singapore: SGS reports that the government is intending to regulate two classes of chemicals (MCCP and LC-PFCA) as hazardous substances. A four-week consultation was launched on 18 January 2024. The proposed changes are to apply from January 2025.
US: Safer States has published their annual analysis (2.84 MB) of anticipated state-level policies on rules and regulations for hazardous substances.
In a recent article, SGS gives an overview of bills introduced in the different states to regulate PFAS in a range of consumer products.

In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR)
EU: The EC is proposing (420 kB) more time for companies to apply the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation (IVDR) to ensure that these devices are available to patients whenever they need them.

Discouraging smoking
The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) has released a report (4.11 MB) revealing ongoing advancements in tobacco health warnings worldwide. The report shows that 138 countries and territories require graphic picture warnings on cigarette packages and 42 countries and territories are actively moving ahead with plain packaging. The report also features the new Canadian requirement for a warning directly on every individual cigarette.
UK: The government has announced plans to restrict vape flavours, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops so they don’t appeal to children.

Research
PFAS are flowing between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, a University of Rhode Island study finds. To get to the Arctic Ocean specifically, some PFAS hitch a ride in the air and fall onto the ocean’s surface and others enter from adjacent oceans.
A University of Minnesota study lays a foundation that can make biological breakdown of PFAS in the environment possible in an inexpensive and efficient way. The study (1.19 MB) is published in Physiology and Metabolism.
 

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