Germany nominates eight of 15, while new MEPs urged to push for progress on Candidate List
01-Sep-2009
The clock has started ticking on a 45-day consultation period on 15 new substances of very high concern (SVHCs) nominated for the REACH Candidate List, which houses substances that could in future require authorisation in order for their sale and use in the EU to continue.
Details of the 15 substances were made public today by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). They include nine SVHCs that have carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or reprotoxic (CMR) properties and five that are considered to be persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB). One substance – high temperature coal tar pitch - is categorised as both CMR and PBT.
The consultation period ends on 15 October 2009 and ECHA's Member States Committee is subsequently expected to make the decision on which SVHCs will be accepted for inclusion in the official Candidate List by 14 December 2009.
The nominated SVHCs are:
| Germany | Anthracene oil | 292-602-7 | 03/08/2009 | PBT | |
| Germany | Anthracene oil, anthracene paste, distn. Lights | 295-278-5 | 03/08/2009 | PBT | |
| Germany | Anthracene oil, anthracene paste, anthracene fraction | 295-275-9 | 03/08/2009 | PBT | |
| Germany | Anthracene oil, anthracene-low | 292-604-8 | 03/08/2009 | PBT | |
| Germany | Anthracene oil, anthracene paste | 292-603-2 | 03/08/2009 | PBT | |
| Germany | Diisobutyl phthalate | 201-553-2 | 98 - 100 % | 03/08/2009 | CMR |
| Spain | 2,4-Dinitrotoluene | 204-450-0 | >99% | 03/08/2009 | CMR |
| COM | coal tar pitch, high temperature | 266-028-2 | 03/08/2009 | PBT | |
| Austria | tris(2-chloroethyl)phosphate | 204-118-5 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| Germany | Aluminosilicate, Refratory Ceramic Fibres | Index no. 650-017-00-8 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| Germany | Zirconia Aluminosilicate, Refratory Ceramic Fibres | Index no. 650-017-00-8 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| France | Lead sulfochromate yellow (C.I. Pigment Yellow 34) | 215-693-7 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| France | Lead chromate molybdate sulfate red (C.I. Pigment Red 104) | 235-759-9 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| France | Lead chromate | 231-846-0 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| Netherlands | Acrylamide | 201-173-7 | 03/08/2009 | CMR | |
| Germany | 4,4'- Diaminodiphenylmethane | 202-974-4 | 30/06/2008 | CMR | |
| Netherlands | 5-tert-butyl-2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene (musk xylene) | 201-329-4 | 30/06/2008 | vPvB | |
| Sweden | α-Hexabromocyclododecane | 247-148-4, | 30/06/2008 | PBT | |
| Norway | bis(tributyltin) oxide | 200-268-0 | 30/06/2008 | CMR | |
| Germany | Anthracene | 204-371-1 | 27/06/2008 | PBT | |
| Austria | dibutylphthalate | 201-557-4 | 27/06/2008 | CMR | |
| Sweden | bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) | 204-211-0 | 27/06/2008 | CMR | |
| Norway | lead hydrogen arsenate | 232-064-2 | 27/06/2008 | CMR | |
| Norway | triethyl arsenate | 427-700-2 | 27/06/2008 | ||
| France | Cyclododecane | 206-033-9 | 26/06/2008 | PBT | |
| France | cobalt dichloride | 231-589-4 | 26/06/2008 | CMR | |
| France | diarsenic pentaoxide | 215-116-9 | 26/06/2008 | CMR | |
| France | diarsenic trioxide | 215-481-4 | 26/06/2008 | CMR | |
| France | sodium dichromate | 234-190-3 | 26/06/2008 | CMR | |
| United Kingdom | Alkanes, C10-13,chloro (Short Chain Chlorinated paraffins) | 287-476-5 | 26/06/2008 | PBT | |
| Austria | benzylbutylphthalate | 201-622-7 | 26/06/2008 | CMR |
Germany accounts for 8 of the 15 nominations, five of which were announced by the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) earlier this summer together with a complaint at the slow progress on nominating substances for the Candidate List and a plea to other Member States to take on more (CW 4 August 2009)
Both Germany and the Netherlands have offered assistance to other Member States in the preparation of dossiers. The Dutch government has led a multi-country process to draw up an unofficial priority list of some 400 clearly identifiable SVHCs (CW 25 June 2009).
Pressure on countries and the European Commission to accelerate the growth of the REACH Candidate List may also come from the European Parliament's newly reconstituted Environment Committee which began work today. REACH is discussed in a “welcome package” sent to new MEP members of the committee, briefing them on progress on environmental laws in the last five years as well as leading them to consider issues they may want to engage on during their term.
The document advises that MEPs “may wish to be vigilant to ensure that the new procedures and instruments resulting from REACH do not in practice lead to a reduction of the existing level of protection of health and the environment for some hazardous substances which were banned or restricted prior to the introduction of the REACH regulatory framework through such legislation as the end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and restriction of hazardous substances (ROHS) Directives.”
Noting that the shortness of the current Candidate List “undermines the substitution objective and prioritisation process under REACH”, the document urges MEPs to consider asking the Commission what action it proposes to take to ensure that REACH applies to all SVHCs or at least to those that lead to exposure to workers, consumers or the environment. Furthermore, it proposes asking the Commission whether it expects existing sector-specific hazardous substance bans, such as those under the ELV Directive, to come under pressure as a result of REACH implementation. It supplements this by proposing that MEPs seek clarification from the Commission on whether it considers a review of sector-specific bans to be necessary, or whether it believes “that REACH should not in any event lead to a rollback of the acquis in the field of restriction of hazardous substances.”
