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....

The Acta Group (Acta®) is pleased to present “An Update on the EU Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability,” a complimentary webinar that will review and update how the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability is fundamentally reshaping the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) regulations in ways that are resetting the global stage for the regulation of chemicals. During this webinar, Meglena...

On May 16, 2024, the United Kingdom’s (UK) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) began a public consultation on the UK government’s proposals to amend the current transitional provisions under UK REACH for submitting registration information to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Defra, following an in-depth analysis of the current UK REACH requirements and working with the HSE and the Environment Agency (EA), has devised an Alternative Transitional Registration model...

The May 2, 2024, ECHA Weekly includes an item on the June 3-6, 2024, meeting of the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) and June 4-7, 2024, meeting of ECHA’s Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC). ECHA states that the plenary meetings will address the following topics concerning the universal per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances  (PFAS) restriction proposal: ECHA notes that additionally, RAC and SEAC will discuss pending issues from the previous...

On April 15, 2024, Germany’s Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) REACH-CLP-Biozid Helpdesk published an item entitled “Dossier Submitter’s ongoing role in the PFAS restriction proposal.” While the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) evaluate the restriction proposal, the five national authorities that prepared the proposal (the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway) are...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on February 27, 2024, that between 2009 and 2023, it performed compliance checks of approximately 15,000 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations, representing 21 percent of full registrations. ECHA states that it met its legal target for dossier evaluation, which increased from five percent to 20 percent in 2019. ECHA notes that for substances registered at quantities of 100 metric tons or more per...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) issued a press release on March 13, 2024, to outline how the Scientific Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) will progress in evaluating the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Europe. As reported in our February 13, 2023, memorandum, the national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden submitted a proposal to restrict more than 10,000 PFAS under the...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on February 7, 2024, that it is considering recommending the following substances for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Authorization List: ECHA states that it is looking for further information on the uses of these substances in scope of authorization, their possible exemptions from the authorization requirement, and on the structure and complexity of the supply chains. ECHA encourages REACH...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 30, 2024, the launch of ECHA CHEM, its “new solution for publishing information on chemicals.” According to ECHA, the first version of ECHA CHEM includes information from the more than 100,000 Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulation (REACH) registrations that companies have submitted to ECHA. On the support page for ECHA CHEM, ECHA notes that as it gradually transfers the data it makes publicly...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 23, 2024, that it added five chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) for authorization and updated the existing entry for dibutyl phthalate to include its endocrine-disrupting properties for the environment: Substance Name Reason for Inclusion Examples of Uses 2,4,6-Tri-tert-butylphenol Toxic for reproduction (Article 57(c))   Persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) (Article 57(d)) Manufacture...

The United Kingdom’s (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced in its January 17, 2024, UK REACH ebulletin that it recommended that diisohexyl phthalate (DIHxP) be added to the list of substances subject to authorization (Annex 14) for UK REACH. As reported in our October 13, 2023, blog item, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) prioritized DIHxP and included DIHxP in its April 12, 2023, recommendation for the inclusion of substances in the European Union (EU)...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has released a draft Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) update for 2024-2026. The draft CoRAP contains 28 substances, including 11 new substances compared to the current CoRAP for 2023-2025; ten substances are planned for evaluation in 2024, including evaluation of four substances as a group, and 18 are divided for evaluation in 2025 and 2026. The draft update states that from the 24 substances included in the CoRAP update published...

According to an item in the December 13, 2023, issue of the ECHA Weekly, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is looking for information for a potential restriction of certain chromium (VI) substances under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulation (REACH). ECHA has opened a call for evidence targeting companies using chromium (VI) substances. ECHA seeks information on: The call for evidence is intended for interested parties, such as private companies...

On November 9, 2023, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published a policy paper on a UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) alternative transitional registration model (ATRm). According to Defra, in response to concerns raised by the chemicals industry about the significant cost to businesses of accessing European Union (EU) data packages to support UK REACH transitional registrations, Defra has been exploring options with the...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on September 27, 2023, that it carried out two campaigns during 2021-2023 to remind companies of their obligation to keep their Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations up to date. According to ECHA, 57 of the 689 screened registrations, from 50 companies in 11 European Union (EU) member states, are still in breach of the update requirements under REACH Article 22. ECHA states that it reported...

The United Kingdom (UK) Health and Safety Executive (HSE) began a public consultation on September 18, 2023, on its draft recommendation for 2023 to include diisohexyl phthalate (DIHxP) on the authorization list (Annex 14 of UK REACH). According to HSE’s draft background document, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) prioritized DIHxP and included DIHxP in its April 12, 2023, recommendation for the inclusion of substances in the European Union (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on September 13, 2023, that to improve transparency of the legislative process, its Enforcement Forum has decided to make its advice on the enforceability of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation restriction proposals public. According to ECHA, Forum advice will from now on be available on ECHA’s website. The first published advice is on the proposal to restrict creosote and related substances in...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has begun a public consultation on six proposals to identify new substances of very high concern (SVHC). The substances, including examples of their uses, are: Comments are due October 16, 2023. If a substance is identified as an SVHC, it will be added to the Candidate List for eventual inclusion in Annex XIV of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation (the authorization list)....

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced in the August 16, 2023, issue of ECHA Weekly that to support substitution toward safer chemicals, it has published information on the main alternatives to substances requiring authorization under Annex XIV of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. ECHA notes that companies applying for an authorization under REACH must provide information on potential alternatives to the Annex XIV...

During the United Kingdom (UK) Chemicals Stakeholder Forum’s (UKCSF) July 20, 2023, meeting, UKCSF received updates from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on UK REACH. According to the UKCSF Chemicals policy and regulation update, Defra, along with Welsh and Scottish governments, worked with HSE, the Environment Agency, and a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organizations (NGO) and trade associations,...

On June 28, 2023, Rebecca Pow, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), signed the REACH (Amendment) Regulations 2023, extending the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registration deadlines. The Explanatory Memorandum states that the amendment extends the current legislative deadlines for registrants to submit information to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) under UK REACH. It also...

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (EDT)4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (CEST) REGISTER NOW Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are attracting global legal, regulatory, commercial, and litigation attention as no other “emerging contaminant” has. Companies producing, processing, distributing, and/or using these substances must be aware of these global legal developments and take steps now to minimize legal, regulatory, and commercial risk. In the United States and globally, the number...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on June 14, 2023, that it has added two new chemicals to the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC). One is toxic for reproduction, and the other has very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) hazardous properties. According to ECHA, their uses include in inks and toners and in the production of plastic products. ECHA provides the following information regarding the chemicals: Substance Name Reason for Inclusion...

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced on June 8, 2023, that it is recommending the restriction of hazardous substances in ink used for tattooing and permanent makeup (PMU) in Great Britain (GB). HSE states that the proposed restriction would target substances classified for carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, reproductive toxicity, skin sensitization, skin corrosion, and serious eye damage. HSE proposes concentration limits of substances in tattoo ink and PMU based on those established in...

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has proposed to include three substances in the rolling action plan (RAP) for 2023 to 2025. HSE states that it has “sought to complement rather than replicate evaluation work that has been or will be performed by other regulatory regimes” (such as via the European Union’s (EU) Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation). According to HSE, its intention is to increase its overall understanding of the...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published its annual report on helpdesk activities. According to the annual report, in 2022, the national helpdesks (NHD) replied to almost 43,000 enquiries, and the ECHA Helpdesk to almost 9,500 questions. The annual report states that responses provided through the survey reflect the activities of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR), Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP), and Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Chemicals (REACH)...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has begun a call for evidence on analytical methods to measure carcinogenic, mutagenic, or reprotoxic substances (CMR) in childcare articles. ECHA states that the European Commission (EC) has requested that ECHA prepare a report on CMRs in childcare articles. According to ECHA, this work will support the EC in the preparation of a restriction proposal for CMR 1A or 1B substances in childcare articles on the basis of Article 68(2)...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published on May 3, 2023, the Question and Answer (Q&A) document following the April 5, 2023, online information session on the proposal to restrict more than 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. As reported in our April 7, 2023, memorandum, national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden submitted the proposal...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on April 12, 2023, that it has recommended that the EC add the following substances to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Authorisation List: ECHA states that it prioritized these substances from the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) for this recommendation “as they are of the highest priority, following the agreed approach of 2014.” The European Commission (EC) will determine...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Commission (EC) has published a report entitled Supporting the Commission in Developing an Essential Use Concept. The report presents the outcome of a project to support the EC to define further the essential use concept and associated criteria to help phase out the most harmful chemicals. According to the abstract, the report investigates how the essential use concept could be implemented in European Union (EU)...

On April 4, 2023, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a regulatory management options analysis (RMOA) for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The RMOA is a preliminary step used within the UK Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) framework. The RMOA collates, combines, and analyzes information on the nature and extent of exposure to chemical substances, and it considers existing laws and also how PFAS are being managed around the world,...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 22, 2023, the beginning of a six-month consultation on the proposal to restrict more than 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. As reported in our February 13, 2023, memorandum, the national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden submitted the proposal after finding risks in the manufacture, placement...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 15, 2023, that it released its Regulatory Strategy for Flame Retardants, identifying aromatic brominated flame retardants as candidates for a European Union (EU)-wide restriction. ECHA states that aromatic brominated flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are generally persistent in the environment, and that many, like decabromodiphenylether, are also known or suspected of being...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on March 8, 2023, the results of the Enforcement Forum’s European Union (EU)-wide project on inspections of Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) authorization duties. During the project, the enforcement authorities of 28 countries carried out 690 inspections at 516 companies. According to ECHA, the most commonly controlled substances of very high concern (SVHC) were chromium trioxide and strontium chromate....

On February 28, 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that it updated its recommendations to improve Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) registrations. According to ECHA, the recommendations are based on ECHA’s findings from registration dossier compliance checks and take recent changes to REACH information requirements into account. The recommendations focus on the rules for using adaptations to assess the safety of chemicals without...

On June 29, 2021, the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) Board of Appeal (BoA) issued a decision on a compliance check case (A-001-2020) regarding registration obligations for polymer importers. ECHA rejected the adaptations by which the Appellant had sought to fulfill the standard information requirements for a sub-chronic toxicity study (Section 8.6.2. of Annex IX to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation), a pre-natal developmental...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) carries out a completeness check on each incoming registration, as set out in Article 20(2) of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. In 2021 and 2022, the European Commission (EC) amended some of the information requirements for registering chemicals under REACH. In its January 23, 2023, press release, ECHA states that, beginning May 1, 2023, it will start...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) carries out a completeness check on each incoming registration, as set out in Article 20(2) of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation. In 2021 and 2022, the European Commission (EC) amended some of the information requirements for registering chemicals under REACH. In its January 23, 2023, press release, ECHA states that, beginning May 1, 2023, it will start checking both new registrations and updates to...

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on January 17, 2023, that it has added nine chemicals to the Candidate List because of their hazardous properties. According to ECHA, the chemicals are used in flame retardants, paints and coatings, inks and toners, coating products, and plasticizers, and in the manufacture of pulp and paper. The chemicals are: Substance Name Reason for Inclusion Examples of Use(s) 1,1′-[ethane-1,2-diylbisoxy]bis[2,4,6-tribromobenzene] Very persistent and very...

The Acta Group’s (Acta®) January 17, 2023, webinar, “Two Years Later: How Has the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability Changed REACH and CLP Regulations?,” is now available for on-demand viewing. During this one-hour webinar Meglena Mihova, Managing Partner, EPPA; Thomas Petry, Ph.D., Managing Director, ToxMinds; Jane S. Vergnes, Ph.D., DABT®, Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Director of Toxicology, Acta; and Lynn L. Bergeson, President, Acta, explore exactly how the Chemicals...

By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is holding a public consultation on a harmonized classification and labeling (CLH) proposal for a biocidal active substance, 3-iodo-2-propynyl butylcarbamate; 3-iodoprop-2-yn-1-yl butylcarbamate (IPBC) (European Community Number (EC No.) 259-627-5, Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number® (CAS RN®) 55406-53-6). ECHA used a combined format, including the competent authority (renewal) assessment report prepared...