EU REACH – ECHA Adds Five New Hazardous Chemicals to the Candidate List

Vol. 1394 | 31 Jan 2024

On 23 Jan 2024, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has added five new substances to the SVHC Candidate List for authorization. Additionally, an update was made to the entry for dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which now includes its endocrine disrupting properties for the environment. These substances are commonly found in products such as inks and toners, adhesives, and sealants as well as washing and cleaning products. The Candidate List of SVHCs for authorization now contains 240 substances.

Here are the highlights for these substances:

Substance name	EC number	CAS number	Reason for inclusion	Examples of uses
2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenol (2,4,6-TTBP)	211-989-5	732-26-3	Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c) Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT)  (Article 57d)	Manufacture of another substance; formulation of mixtures and in fuel products.
2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol (UV-329)	221-573-5	3147-75-9	Very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB)  (Article 57e)	Air care products, coating products, adhesives and sealants, lubricants and greases, polishes and waxes and washing and cleaning products.
2-(dimethylamino)-2-[(4-methylphenyl)methyl]-1-[4-(morpholin-4-yl)phenyl]butan-1-one	438-340-0	119344-86-4	Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c)	Inks and toners, coating products.
Bumetrizole (UV-326)	223-445-4	3896-11-5	vPvB  (Article 57e)	Coating products, adhesives and sealants and washing and cleaning products.
Oligomerisation and alkylation reaction products of 2-phenylpropene and phenol (OAPP)	700-960-7	-	vPvB  (Article 57e)	Adhesives and sealants, coating products, fillers, putties, plasters, modelling clay, inks and toners and polymers.
Dibutyl phthalate (updated entry)	201-557-4	84-74-2	Endocrine disrupting properties  (Article 57(f) - environment)	Metal working fluids, washing and cleaning products, laboratory chemicals and polymers.

Consequences of the Candidate List

Under REACH, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included – either on its own, in mixtures or in articles – in the Candidate List. 

Suppliers of articles containing a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1 % (weight by weight) have to give their customers and consumers information to be able to use them safely. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers whether the products they buy contain substances of very high concern.

Importers and producers of articles will have to notify ECHA if their article contains a Candidate List substance within six months from the date it has been included in the list (14 June 2023). Suppliers of substances on the Candidate List, supplied either on their own or in mixtures, have to provide their customers with a safety data sheet.

Under the Waste Framework Directive, companies also have to notify ECHA if the articles they produce contain substances of very high concern in a concentration above 0.1 % (weight by weight). This notification is published in ECHA’s database of substances of concern in products (SCIP).

You can access the notification by ECHA through the following:

https://echa.europa.eu/nl/-/echa-adds-five-hazardous-chemicals-to-the-candidate-list

You can view the full candidate list of SVHCs through the following:
http://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table

If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Leung (Kathy.Leung@intertek.com, +852 28548163) or Ben Cheng (Ben.PS.Cheng@intertek.com, +852 21738888).