EU REACH: Update of SVHC Candidate List to 144 Entries

GENEVA - July 11, 2013 - PRLog -- The originally expected four substances, (2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4,6-ditertpentylphenol, 2-benzotriazol-2-yl-4,6-di-tert-butylphenol, 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(5-chlorobenzotriazol-2-yl)phenol and 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(tert-butyl)-6-(sec-butyl)phenol were not included this time because their proposed classifications of very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) and persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) are still under consideration.The current list contains 144 substances which will be expanded over time.(2) According to the draft multi-annual work program 2014-2018 published in May 2013, ECHA expects to receive 50 proposals per year for identification as SVHC in this five year period.(3)

Obligations for EU Manufacturers and Importers under REACH

Referring to Article 33 of REACH, European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) manufacturers and importers of articles are required to provide information to allow safe use of the productsto the recipients upon supply and to the consumers within 45 days upon request when the concentration of the SVHC in the article exceeds 0.1% (w/w).  For articles that contain SVHC in which the concentration is above 0.1% with the quantity over one ton per year, anotification shall be submitted to ECHA by the manufacturers or the importers under Article 7 of REACH. The notification of SVHCs in article shall be made within six months after its inclusion to the List. The notification deadline for the sixnew SVHCs added to the Candidate List on 20 June 2013 is 20 December 2013.

SVHC Candidate List Update

The SVHC candidate list was updated on 20 June 2013 by including six more substances. Following the inclusion of 4-nonylphenol (branched and linear) last year, its ethoxylated compounds were also included this time, due to concerns about its influence on the environment. Cadmium compounds, cadmium and cadmium oxide, are first included in the list and are classified as carcinogen category 1B and equivalent level of concern (EQC). The perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) now contain six substances by including two more members, ammonium pentadecafluorooctanoate (APFO) and pentadecafluorooctanoic acid (PFOA).

The potential uses of the six SVHCs are summarized in Table 1 within the latest SGS SafeGuards bulletin (http://newsletter.sgs.com/eNewsletterPro/uploadedimages/0...).

About SGS REACH Services

The SGS experts will follow up and inform interested parties as developments on REACH and other legislation occur. The SGS REACH expertise (http://www.sgs.com/reach)combined with consultancy services and experience in consumer product supply chains provides a central point of contact for global solutions.    

References:

(1)ECHA updates the Candidate List for authorization with six new substances of very high concern (SVHCs)(http://echa.europa.eu/view-article/-/journal_content/titl...-)
(2)Candidate List of SVHC(http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table)
(3)Draft multi-annual work program 2014 – 2018(http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13608/mb_06_2013_mawp_2014_2018_draft_for_public_consultation_en.pdf)

If you would like to learn more about how SGS can support your REACH compliance activities, please contact the SGS REACH experts.

Contact details:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
Trace Cheng
Corporate Research & Development
SGS Hong Kong Limited
1/F, On Wui Centre, 25 Lok Yip Road, Fanling, N.T.
Hong Kong

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