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ECHA consults on 11 substances to be proposed for authorisation

ECHA consults on 11 substances to be proposed for authorisation

ECHA/PR/15/15

ECHA invites comments on a proposal to include 11 new substances in the Authorisation List. Comments can be given by 18 February 2016.

Helsinki, 18 November 2015 – ECHA considers recommending the following substances for the Authorisation List (examples of uses in brackets):

  • Dihexyl phthalate and 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dihexyl ester, branched and linear (plasticiser in PVC);
  • HHPA and MHHPA (hardener for epoxy resins);
  • Trixylyl phosphate (in lubricants, hydraulic fluids and plastics production);
  • Two boron compounds: sodium perborate; perboric acid, sodium salt and sodium peroxometaborate (in detergents and bleaching products);
  • Four lead compounds: orange lead (lead tetroxide); lead monoxide (lead oxide); tetralead trioxide sulphate and pentalead tetraoxide sulphate (batteries and rubber production, in adsorbents)*.

If a substance is included in the Authorisation List (Annex XIV of REACH), it can be placed on the market or used after a given date only if an authorisation is granted for a specific use. Companies can apply for authorisation.

The draft recommendation specifies the proposed conditions of the authorisation requirement for each substance, including the latest application and sunset dates.

ECHA invites comments on the priority of the substances, their uses, possible exemptions from the authorisation requirement and on the proposed transitional arrangements.

At the same time, the European Commission calls for information on the possible socio-economic consequences of including these 11 substances in the Authorisation List.  Any information received on the socio-economic impact will be passed on directly to the Commission and will not be considered by ECHA in the recommendation process.

ECHA regularly recommends substances from the Candidate List for inclusion in the Authorisation List to the Commission. The draft recommendation is based on an assessment of the data in registration dossiers and other available information, and an initial consultation with the Member State Committee. Registrations will be checked for any updates at the end of the public consultation.

Next steps

The Member State Committee will prepare an opinion on the draft recommendation taking into account the comments received during the public consultation. Based on the opinion of the Committee and the public consultation, ECHA will provide its final recommendation to the European Commission. This will be ECHA's seventh recommendation. The Commission will decide on which of the substances to include in the Authorisation List and on the respective conditions applicable for each substance.

* The four lead substances were also included in ECHA's previous draft recommendation in 2014 but were not included in the final recommendation that was sent to the Commission in July 2015. Comments that were submitted during the previous public consultation on the lead substances do not need to be re-submitted.