12 Substances Added to REACH Authorisation List

The European Commission has added 12 SVHCs to REACH Annex XIV – the authorisation list.

They are the first substances to be included in Annex XIV, which now contains 43 substances, since the Commission adopted a moratorium on such additions in August 2014.

Of the 12, eight are category 1B substances toxic for reproduction with a sunset date of 4 July 2020:

> 1-bromopropane (n-propyl bromide) (used in washing and cleaning products, and in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment);

> diisopentylphthalate (found in cosmetics);

> 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid di-C6-8-branched alkyl esters C7-rich (used in the manufacture of dyes, medicine and perfume);

> 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, di-C7-11-branched and linear alkyl esters;

> 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid, dipentylester, branched and linear;

> bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate (found in cosmetics);

> dipentylphthalate; and

> n-pentyl-isopentylphthalate.

Two substances are carcinogenic (category 1B) and have PBT and vPvB properties with a sunset date of 4 October 2020:

> Anthracene oil (used in dyes); and

> pitch, COAL TAR, high temperature.

And two substances have endocrine disrupting properties for the environment and have a sunset date of 4 January 2021:

> 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol, ethoxylated (used in paints and coatings); and

> 4-nonylphenol, branched and linear, ethoxylated (used as an intermediate in the manufacture of substances used in detergents, paints and personal care products).

Member states voted to approve their inclusion at the REACH Committee meeting in December last year.

NGOs have criticised the authorisation process, saying not enough substances have been added in ten years of REACH and that Echa is ignoring safer alternatives.

Speaking at the Helsinki Chemical Forum last week, European Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska said it should be simplified for those applications that "do not raise major concerns" and the Commission must ensure the procedures are "fit for purpose".