Non-food legislation – January 2020

REACH
FPF reports that the EC has published a draft implementing regulation outlining the duties of substance registrants under REACH to update their registration dossiers. The draft was open for feedback until 15 January 2020. ECHA has also reported that the completeness check, to be launched in April 2020, will be extended to chemical safety reports. The UBA has published a report (4.01 MB) titled “REACH: Improvement of guidance and methods for the identification and assessment of PMT/vPvM substances.” PMT stands for persistent mobile, and toxic. vPvM stands for very persistent and very mobile.
ECHA has published a list of over 21,000 REACH registered substances mapped in its chemical universe. The substances have been divided into 5 pools based on regulatory actions. A report (1.09 MB) by ECHA shows that 12% of inspected products contain SVHCs. The majority (88%) of suppliers of these products are failing to communicate sufficient information to their customers. The EU project AskREACH has developed an EU database for suppliers to submit information on SVHCs in their articles. Recently AskREACH announced the launch of a smartphone app, allowing consumers to access the information and make SVHC requests for articles not found in the database.

Nanomaterials
Updated REACH Annexes for the nanoforms of substances apply as of 1 January 2020. The annexes introduce new concepts: nanoform and a set of similar nanoforms. ECHA has updated two guidance documents (scroll down) with advice for companies preparing registration dossiers that cover nanoforms. On 12 November 2019 ECHA organised a webinar on the new information requirements. A report (8.13 MB) by the EU’s JRC outlines measurement options and factors to take into account when determining whether a material fits the definition of a nanomaterial. It may also be helpful for companies registering their nanoforms under REACH.

Classification, Labelling and Packaging - CLP
A report (686 kB) by ECHA shows that 44% of hazardous mixtures is not compliant with CLP. ECHA has announced that the amended CLP Annex VIII, postponing the first compliance date for harmonised reporting to poison centres to 1 January 2021, has been published in the OJ. ECHA has also announced that the Poison Centre Notification database is ready for Member States on-boarding.

Endocrine Disruptors (EDCs) and per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)
The EC has launched a citizens' consultation on EDCs. The consultation closes 9 March 2020. On 8 November 2019 the EC organised the first annual Forum on EDCs. A recording of the event has been published. In an article published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology, a group of scientists identifies 10 key characteristics of EDCs. Utrecht University researchers have found that babies are exposed to numerous EDCs in the mother’s womb.
FPF reports that in an public session of the EU Environment Council, the Netherlands informed of their intention to draft a REACH restriction proposal on non-essential uses of PFAS. A number of countries supports this proposal. A briefing by EEA presents an overview of the known and potential risks to human health and the environment in Europe posed by PFAS. The BfR has published questions and answers (in German) relating to PFAS.

Substituting toxic chemicals
Chemsec has updated its Substitute It Now (SIN) List, a compilation of over 900 toxic chemicals that should be avoided in the global supply chains. The newly added substances include PFAS and nanomaterials.

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