ECHA added five new chemicals to the Candidate List and updated the existing list for dibutyl phthalate to safeguard the environment and people.
The European Chemicals Agency – ECHA – has recently added five new chemicals to the Candidate List:
- One is toxic for reproduction;
- Three are very persistent and bio-accumulative;
- The last one is persistent, bio-accumulative and toxic.
These chemicals can be found in adhesives as well as sealants and cleaning products. In addition, ECHA has updated the existing candidate list entry for dibutyl phthalate, which must include its environmental endocrine disrupting properties.
The Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern – SVHC - now contains 240 entries for chemicals that may harm people or the environment. Companies responsible for managing the risks of these substances must provide customers and consumers with information on their safe use.
The entries added to the list of candidates, updated January 2024, are as follows:
- 2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol: used in formulation of mixtures and in fuel products;
- 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) phenol: used in coating products, adhesives and sealants;
- 2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl) methyl]-1-[4-(morpholin-4-yl) phenyl] butan-1-one: used in coatings;
- Bumetrizole: used in coating products, adhesives and sealants as well as cleaning products;
- Oligomerisation and alkylation reaction products of 2-phenylpropene and phenol: used in adhesives and sealants, coatings and polymers;
- Dibutyl phthalate: used in metal working fluids, washing and cleaning products, laboratory chemicals and polymers.
Under REACH, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included in the Candidate List, whether alone, in mixtures or in articles. If an article contains a Candidate List substance at a concentration above 0.1%, suppliers must provide their customers and consumers with information on how to use it safely. Consumers also have the right to ask suppliers whether the products they purchase contain substances of very high concern.
Lastly, importers and manufacturers must notify ECHA within six months if their article contains a listed substance. EU and EEA suppliers of substances on the Candidate List must update the safety data sheet they provide to their customers.