RAC concludes on nine scientific opinions for CLH

The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) adopted nine opinions for harmonised classification and labelling (CLH) for the following substance: sulfoxaflor, phenol, dodecyl-, branched (TPP), lead (metallic), tributyltin compounds, trisulfuron methyl, bifenazate, fenpyroximate and lenacil.

News alert | RAC opinions

Is your substance identity information up-to-date?

ECHA has conducted an IT-based screening on required information elements for substance identity of all REACH registrations. Registrants whose dossiers are picked up by the screening will receive a letter from ECHA in the first quarter of 2014 giving advice on how to address the identified shortcomings found in their dossiers. The aim is to help industry to proactively improve the quality of their dossiers before ECHA initiates follow up actions such as compliance check.

News alert | Substance identity

Announcement of two new appeal

The Board of Appeal has published an announcement concerning two new appeals.

Appeal announcements

Updated Guidance for downstream users and Guidance on the compilation of safety data sheets

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published updates to the following two guidance documents on its website following a consultation process: The Guidance for downstream users and the Guidance on the compilation of safety data sheets (SDSs).

News alert | Guidance section

Consultation to revise current harmonised classification and labelling for acetochlor and iodomethane

ECHA has started a 45-day public commenting period on the proposals to amend harmonised classification and labelling (CLH) for acetochlor and iodomethane.

The CLH report for acetochlor, submitted by Spain, proposes adding a classification for carcinogenicity and revising the current classification for acute toxicity, specific target organ toxicity and skin irritation. Acetochlor is a chloroacetanilide herbicide which has been used for outdoor pre-emergent control of grasses and broadleaf weeds on agricultural crop land, mainly corn. However, its use is no longer authorised within the EU.

The CLH report for iodomethane, submitted by the UK, proposes removal of the classification for carcinogenicity from the current Annex VI entry. Iodomethane is used in the EU as an industrial and pharmaceutical methylating agent and as an intermediate in pharmaceutical and pesticide manufacture. It has also been used as a pesticide outside the EU. The public consultation for both substances opened on 5 December 2013 and the deadline for submitting comments is 20 January 2014.

Ongoing consultations

ECHA has updated the data on Candidate List substances in articles

The data on Candidate List substances in articles has been updated on 10 December 2013. Under certain conditions, importers and producers of articles have to submit notifications of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in articles to ECHA six months after the inclusion of the substance in the Candidate List. From the information contained in the notifications and in registration dossiers, ECHA publishes non-confidential data on Candidate List substances in articles. This consists of examples of articles containing those substances, which can be available for consumer use on the EU market.

The current update is based on the information contained in the notifications that companies have submitted to ECHA until 25 October 2013 for the substances included in the Candidate List as of 19 December 2012.

Data on CL substances in articles | Candidate List | Notification of SiA