REACHblog®

The European Commission (EC) requested that the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) assess the risks posed by certain hexavalent chromium substances. ECHA announced on April 29, 2025, that it has concluded that a European Union (EU)-wide restriction for hexavalent chromium substances is justified because the substances “are among the most potent workplace carcinogens and pose a serious risk to workers’ health.” ECHA states that it expects to begin a six-month public consultation on a ban on...

Register now to join The Acta Group (Acta®) and EPPA for “PFAS Updates: What’s Happening in the U.S. and EU,” a complimentary webinar offering expert updates on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) regulatory developments. These substances are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. While the U.S. Administration is new, PFAS regulation continues at a rapid pace and U.S. state initiatives are evolving...

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on March 21, 2025, that it has published the following annual report and work program on activities under the UK regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (UK REACH): The UK REACH Report provides a summary of achievements, including: Topic Deliverable Target Outcome Registration Complete the processing of all Article 26 inquiries and, within three weeks of receipt, all new UK...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on February 26, 2025, that it has updated its annual statistics on evaluation progress. According to ECHA, between 2009 and 2024, it checked the compliance of 15,500 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation registrations, representing 23 percent of all submitted registration dossiers and covering 3,200 substances. For high-volume chemicals registered at quantities of 100 metric tons or more per year,...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 21, 2025, that it added five chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) and updated one entry: Substance Name Reason for Inclusion Examples of Uses 6-[(C10-C13)-alkyl-(branched, unsaturated)-2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl]hexanoic acid Toxic for reproduction (Article 57(c)) Lubricants, greases, release products, and metal working fluids O,O,O-triphenyl phosphorothioate Persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT)...

The December 18, 2024, issue of ECHA Weekly includes an item announcing the release of the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) draft Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) update for years 2025-27. The draft update contains 31 substances, including 13 new substances, compared to the current CoRAP 2024-2026; eight substances planned for evaluation in 2025, including two groups of two substances; 15 substances for evaluation in 2026; and five substances for evaluation in 2027. ECHA proposes to...

On November 20, 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the authorities from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden released a progress update on the process to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Europe. According to ECHA’s press release, the five authorities (Dossier Submitters) and ECHA’s scientific committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) continue to consider more than 5,600 scientific and technical comments...

According to the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) September 2024 summary of the current status of the scientific evaluation of the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), ECHA’s Scientific Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) are continuing to evaluate the 2023 proposal to restrict more than 10,000 PFAS under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. According to the summary, RAC...

The European Commission (EC) announced on September 19, 2024, that it adopted new measures under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation to protect human health and the environment by restricting the use of undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) and PFHxA ‑related substances. The EC states that these sub-groups of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) “are very persistent and mobile in water, and their use in certain products poses an...

According to an item in the September 4, 2024, ECHA Weekly, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has begun a public consultation on six proposals to identify new substances of very high concern (SVHC). The substances and examples of their uses are: Comments are due October 14. 2024....