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Six new substances added to the Candidate List

ECHA/PR/19/01

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) for authorisation now contains 197 substances.

Helsinki, 15 January 2019 – ECHA has added five new substances to the Candidate List due to the carcinogenic, toxic to reproduction, persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) properties of the substances. The decision to include the four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was taken with the involvement of the Member State Committee (MSC). The four PAH cases were referred to the MSC in order to address new hazard information submitted during the public consultation.

One further substance has also been added to the list having been identified as an SVHC by the European Commission due to its endocrine-disrupting properties. The Commission’s decision follows the referral of the MSC opinion on this SVHC proposal in 2016.

Substances included in the Candidate List for authorisation on 15 January 2019 and their SVHC properties:

# Substance name EC number CAS number Reason for inclusion Examples of use(s)
1 2,2-bis(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methylpentane 401-720-1 6807-17-6

Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c)

No active registrations under REACH. 
2 Benzo[k]fluoranthene 205-916-6 207-08-9

Carcinogenic (Article 57a)

PBT (Article 57d)

vPvB (Article 57e)

Not yet registered under REACH. 
3 Fluoranthene 205-912-4 206-44-0

PBT (Article 57d)

vPvB (Article 57e)

Not yet registered under REACH. 
4 Phenanthrene 201-581-5 85-01-8 vPvB (Article 57e) Not yet registered under REACH. 
5 Pyrene 204-927-3 129-00-0

PBT (Article 57d)

vPvB (Article 57e) 
Used as a transported intermediate for the manufacture of fine chemicals.
6 1,7,7-trimethyl-3-(phenylmethylene)bicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-one  239-139-9 15087-24-8

Endocrine disrupting properties (Article 57(f) - environment)

Not yet registered under REACH.


Furthermore, one dossier submitter (the German competent authority) decided to withdraw its proposal to identify undecafluorohexanoic acid and its ammonium salt (PFHxA) as an SVHC during the MSC agreement-seeking process.

Background

The Candidate List is a list of substances that may have serious effects on human health or the environment. Substances on the Candidate List are also known as substances of very high concern and are candidates for eventual inclusion in the Authorisation List. Once they are on the Authorisation List, industry will need to apply for permission to continue using the substance after the sunset date.

Companies may have legal obligations resulting from the inclusion of the substance in the Candidate List. These obligations may apply to the listed substance on its own, in mixtures or in articles. In particular, any supplier of articles containing a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1 % (weight by weight) has communication obligations towards customers down the supply chain and consumers. In addition, importers and producers of articles containing the substance have six months from the date of its inclusion in the Candidate List (15 January 2019) to notify ECHA. Information on these obligations and related tools are available on ECHA’s website.