On June 14, 2023, ECHA has added the two chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC), which now contains 235 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies have legal obligations resulting from the inclusion of substances in the Candidate List.
Next, these substances may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future. Companies need to apply for authorisation to continue the uses once they are on that list.
On February 17, 2023, European Chemical Agency (ECHA) released a proposal to consult on adding two substances to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC). Deadline for comments is April 3, 2023.
Highlights of the proposed addition are summarized below:
| Name | EC No | CAS No | Reason for proposing | Application |
bis(4-chlorophenyl) sulphone | 201-247-9 | 80-07-9 | vPvB | Used industrially as a monomer for the production of polymers, rubbers and other chemicals |
Diphenyl(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phosphine oxide | 278-355-8 | 75980-60-8 | Toxic for reproduction | Used in photo-chemicals, inks and toners, coating products, adhesives and sealants, polymers and fillers, putties, plasters, and modelling clay |
Obligations for SVHC
Once a substance is identified as an SVHC, it is placed on the Candidate List for Authorization. According to EU REACH Regulations, suppliers of an article containing SVHC in a concentration of more than 0.1% must provide following information to downstream:
Provide SDS to downstream if the concentration of SVHC on its own or in preparations exceeds 0.1%
Provide safety use instruction to downstream recipient if the concentration of SVHC in products exceeds 0.1%. This equivalent information should be supplied to consumers within 45 days when requested
EU manufacturers, importers or only representative (OR) of SVHC shall notify ECHA if:
The substance is present in those articles in quantities totalling over one tonne per producer or importer per year;
The substance is present in those articles above a concentration of 0.1 % weight by weight (w/w).
In addition, starting from January 5, 2021, companies that have products containing more than 0.1% of SVHC are required to submit notifications through ECHA’s substances of concern in products (SCIP) database.
Background SVHC is a classification used by the ECHA under the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals) for chemicals that are particularly hazardous to human health or the environment. SVHC substances are identified based on a list of criteria such as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR), persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT), or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), among others. |
