The European Commission has taken a significant step in safeguarding public health and environmental well-being by adopting a new regulation.

On July 14, 2023, the Commission approved Regulation (EU) 2023/1464, which amends Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006. The focus of this regulation is to address the risks posed by formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers , which have been identified as highly reactive gases with potential health hazards.

• •Over 500 participants engage in the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) workshop about New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) as alternatives to animal testing in chemical hazard assessment.
• •The workshop, which was held on 31 May and 1 June, focused on achieving a common understanding of NAMs' potential in reducing regulatory dependence on animal testing and expediting their regulatory acceptance.
• •This way, ECHA reaffirms its commitment to supporting the development of new methodologies, contributing to future EU chemicals regulation, and collaborating internationally for faster progress.

Although the Canadian government prohibited the manufacture, use, sale and import of three subgroups of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS1) (PFOS, PFOA and long-chain PFCAs) in 2012, the latest scientific evidence and the regulatory measures from other jurisdictions made the Canadian authorities to look for further evidence about PFAs’ long lasting effects on human health and the environment.

The aim of this investigation is to “address the danger of broad class PFAS because there is scientific evidence indicating PFAS used to replace regulated PFOS, PFOA, and long-chain PFCAs may also be associated with environmental and/or human health effects”, as explained in the Canada Gazette in April 2021.

The Canadian Ministry of Health published on January 4, 2023 in the Canada Gazette, the nation's official newspaper, the amendments to its Hazardous Products Regulation - HPR, with the aim of aligning it with the seventh revised version of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of chemical products - GHS.

Understanding regulatory requirements in countries that have adopted GHS

Introduction

• •Chemical suppliers must periodically review, and update their SDSs to incorporate new information about hazards, protective measures, or changes in product information.
• •In this post, we provide a summary of the regulatory requirements for SDS revisions in some of the major countries that have adopted the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS).

On March 31st, 2023, the European Union's Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (CLP) underwent a significant amendment with the issuance of the delegated regulation EU 2023/707.

The purpose of this amendment is to add new hazard classes and criteria to address toxicity, persistence, mobility, and bioaccumulation in the environment, as well as endocrine disruption properties.