Update of the C&L inventory with Seveso III categorisation of substances

Update of the C&L inventory with Seveso III categorisation of substances

ECHA/NI/15/19

Helsinki, 1 June 2015 - ECHA has released an update of the Classification and Labelling Inventory to include the categorisation of harmonised substances according to the Seveso III Directive. This is a further step to make the C&L Inventory a central source of information on harmonised and self-classified substances on the EU market.

Seveso III Directive (2012/18/EU) enters into force in June 2015, fully repealing the Seveso II directive which was based on the old dangerous substances directive (DSD). Seveso III was adopted taking into account, amongst others, the changes in the Union legislation on the classification of chemicals and increased rights for citizens to access information.

The Seveso III Directive lays down rules for the prevention of major accidents involving hazardous chemicals. Chemicals are categorised according to their hazardousness and specific rules apply to the storage and handling of them. The directive includes both specified substances and rules establishing categorisation based on the classification. It now applies to more than 10 000 industrial establishments in the European Union where dangerous substances are used or stored in large quantities, mainly in the chemical, petrochemical, logistics and metal refining sectors.