The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) has been upgraded to 201 substances. The ECHA (European Chemical Agency) has just included 4 new substances; due to their toxicity to reproduction, endocrine disruption and a combination of other properties of concern.

The latter causes probable serious effects to human health and the environment, giving rise to an equivalent level of concern to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR), persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances, respectively.

The 4 substances are the following:

• 2-metoxietil acetate (CAS 110-49-6)
• Tris(4-nonylphenyl, branched and linear) phosphite (TNPP) with ≥ 0.1% w/w of 4-nonylphenol, branched and linear (4-NP)
• 4-terc-butilfenol (CAS 98-54-4)
• 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propionic acid, its salts and its acyl halides (covering any of their individual isomers and combinations thereof)

WHAT IS A SVHC?

Substances that meet one or more criteria defined in Article 57 of the Regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals) of the European Union (EU) can be identified as “Substances of Very High Concern” and included in the candidates list, also known as REACH SVHC List.

If a substance is added to the SVHC list does not mean it is prohibited but its use brings some obligations towards the ECHA and consumers:

• Generation of a safety data sheet (SDS)
• Communication along the supply chain
• Providing with an answer to consumers’ requests within 45 days
• Notification to the ECHA if the final article produced contains a SVHC substance above one tonne per year and it is present at 0.1% (w/w) or higher concentration in the article

However, if the substance is added to the authorisation REACH list (Annex XIV of the REACH Regulation), it cannot be marketed in the EU nor used after a fixed date, unless it is authorised for a specific use or the specific use is authorisation exempted.

The official ECHA webpage allows to check the substances included in SVHC list and also the ones which have been authorised together with the cut-off date. It is important to regularly check SVHC list, companies may have immediate legal obligations after the substance addition into REACH SVHC list.