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ECHA adds five hazardous chemicals to the Candidate List

ECHA/NR/24/01

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern now contains 240 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and giving customers and consumers information on their safe use.

Helsinki, 23 January 2024 – The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added five new chemicals to the Candidate List. One of them is toxic for reproduction, three are very persistent and very bioaccumulative and one is toxic for reproduction and persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic. They are found in products such as inks and toners, adhesives and sealants and washing and cleaning products.

The Agency has also updated the existing Candidate List entry for dibutyl phthalate to include its endocrine disrupting properties for the environment.

Entries added to the Candidate List on 23 January 2024:

Substance name	EC number	CAS number	Reason for inclusion	Examples of uses
2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol	211-989-5	732-26-3	Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c) Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) (Article 57d)	Manufacture of another substance; formulation of mixtures and in fuel products.
2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol	221-573-5	3147-75-9	Very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) (Article 57e)	Air care products, coating products, adhesives and sealants, lubricants and greases, polishes and waxes and washing and cleaning products.
2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl)methyl]-1-[4-(morpholin-4-yl)phenyl]butan-1-one	438-340-0	119344-86-4	Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c)	Inks and toners, coating products.
Bumetrizole	223-445-4	3896-11-5	vPvB (Article 57e)	Coating products, adhesives and sealants and washing and cleaning products.
Oligomerisation and alkylation reaction products of 2-phenylpropene and phenol	700-960-7	-	vPvB (Article 57e)	Adhesives and sealants, coating products, fillers, putties, plasters, modelling clay, inks and toners and polymers.
Dibutyl phthalate (updated entry)	201-557-4	84-74-2	Endocrine disrupting properties (Article 57(f) - environment)	Metal working fluids, washing and cleaning products, laboratory chemicals and polymers.

ECHA’s Member State Committee has confirmed the addition of these substances to the Candidate List. The list now contains 240 entries – some are groups of chemicals so the overall number of impacted chemicals is higher.

These substances may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future. If a substance is on that list, companies cannot use it unless they apply for authorisation and the European Commission authorises its continued use.

Consequences of the Candidate List

Under REACH, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included – either on its own, in mixtures or in articles – in the Candidate List.

If an article contains a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1 % (weight by weight), suppliers have to give their customers and consumers information on how to use it safely. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers if the products they buy contain substances of very high concern.

Importers and producers of articles have to notify ECHA if their article contains a Candidate List substance within six months from the date it has been included in the list (23 January 2024).

EU and EEA suppliers of substances on the Candidate List, supplied either on their own or in mixtures, have to update the safety data sheet they provide to their customers.

Under the Waste Framework Directive, companies also have to notify ECHA if the articles they produce contain substances of very high concern in a concentration above 0.1 % (weight by weight). This notification is published in ECHA’s database of substances of concern in products (SCIP).

Press contact: Hanna-Kaisa Torkkeli, press@echa.europa.eu, +358 50 416 8585