List of harmonised classifications updated

ECHA/NI/17/13

The European Commission has recently amended the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation, updating the list of substances with a harmonised classification. Companies must apply the revised classifications for the safe use of these chemicals by 1 December 2018 at the latest.

Helsinki, 17 May 2017 – The amendment (the 10th adaptation to technical progress) introduces or updates the harmonised classifications for 37 substances in the list of harmonised classification (Annex VI to the CLP Regulation).

The existing classifications for 13 substances have been revised and 24 substances or groups of substances that have not been previously classified have been introduced. Amongst them, 14 active substances used in plant protection products have been updated or introduced.

The 10th adaptation refers to Table 3 instead of Table 3.1 as Table 3.2 from Annex VI, which contained the harmonised classification and labelling according to the repealed Dangerous Substances Directive (DSD), has been deleted.

As of 1 June 2017, these are no longer required either for product classification and labelling, or to be listed on the safety data sheets for mixtures. Note E also related to Table 3.2 and DSD has consequently also been removed from CLP.

The 10th adaptation also introduces acute toxicity estimates (ATEs) in the penultimate column of Table 3 of Part 3 of Annex VI. ATEs are important to determine the classification for human health acute toxicity of mixtures containing substances classified for acute toxicity. The inclusion of harmonised ATE values in the entries would facilitate the harmonisation of the classification of mixtures and would provide support for enforcement authorities.

Companies have to comply with the new requirements from 1 December 2018 onwards. This also means that existing classifications and REACH registrations should be updated with the new information by this date.