REACH/SVHCs

REACH is a European Union Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The new law entered into force on 1 June 2007. The aim of REACH is to improve the protection of human health and the environment through the better and earlier identification of the intrinsic properties of chemical substances. At the same time, innovative capability and competitiveness of the EU chemicals industry should be enhanced. The benefits of the REACH system will come gradually, as more and more substances are phased into REACH.

A substance of very high concern (SVHC) is a chemical substance (or part of a group of chemical substances) for which it has been proposed that the use within the European Union be subject to authorisation under the REACH Regulation. The first list of SVHCs was published on 28 October 2008, updated on 13 January 2010 and will be modified and possibly added to every 6 to 12 months. The Proposals for inclusion of a SVHC substance can come either from the European Commission or one of the Member States of the European Union. The proposals are made public by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and are open for public comment for 60–90 days. If the substance is deemed to meet one or more of the criteria, it is then listed as an SVHC.

The list of SVHCs is primarily a public list of substances for which the European Chemicals Agency is considering imposing a requirement for authorisation for some or all uses. Suppliers must provide their customers with a safety data sheet ,on request,  indicating if their article contains more than 0.1% by weight of any SVHCs. Manufacturers or importers of articles containing more than 0.1% by weight of any SVHC must provide their customers, and consumers on request, with adequate information on the safe use and disposal of the article, including the name of the SVHC(s) concerned. From 1 June 2011, manufacturers and importers of articles will also have to notify the European Chemicals Agency of the quantities of SVHCs used in their articles.

EMT can provide analytical information for the SVHCs. Please review our Product Ecology brochue and contact us at 800-246-0663 and jcronin@emt.com.

Links:

Substances of Very High Concern List

European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)