Additions to ECHA Hazardous Chemicals List Bring Total to 250 Entries

With the inclusion of three more hazardous chemicals, the European Chemicals Agency’s candidate list of substances of very high concern now includes 250 entries, the agency reported in June. The SVHC candidate list is comprised of chemicals that can harm humans or the environment. REACH, the European Union’s chemical regulation, requires suppliers and other companies to manage risks associated with chemicals on the SVHC candidate list, as well as provide customers and consumers with information on the safe use of articles containing these substances. Because some entries on the list are groups of chemicals, the overall number of impacted chemicals is greater than 250, ECHA explained.

Two of the new additions to the SVHC candidate list, 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyl-3-[(trimethylsilyl)oxy]trisiloxane and decamethyltetrasiloxane, are very persistent and bioaccumulative substances used in cosmetics and personal care products. The former is also used as a laboratory reagent and in perfumes and fragrances, while the latter is also an ingredient in lubricants, greases, and automotive care products. The third chemical is a component of textile treatment products and dyes added to the SVHC candidate list for its reproductive toxicity, known as tetra(sodium/potassium) 7-[(E)-{2-acetamido-4-[(E)-(4-{[4-chloro-6-({2-[(4-fluoro-6-{[4-(vinylsulfonyl)phenyl]amino}-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)amino]propyl}amino)-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl]amino}-5-sulfonato-1-naphthyl)diazenyl]-5-methoxyphenyl}diazenyl]-1,3,6-naphthalenetrisulfonate, or Reactive Brown 51.

Chemicals on the SVHC candidate list may later be placed on the authorization list, which prohibits companies from using these substances in the EU without approval of the European Commission. ECHA’s website provides further information about the newly added substances and the regulatory obligations of manufacturers, suppliers, and importers of chemicals on the SVHC candidate list.