ECHA adds nine hazardous chemicals to Candidate List

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern now contains 233 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and must also give their customers and consumers information to use them safely.

ECHA has added nine chemicals to the Candidate List because of their hazardous properties. They are used for example in flame retardants, paints and coatings, inks and toners, coating products, plasticisers and in the manufacture of pulp and paper.

Entries added to the Candidate List on 17 January 2023:

1,1′-[ethane-1,2-diylbisoxy]bis[2,4,6-tribromobenzene]
2,2′,6,6′-tetrabromo-4,4′-isopropylidenediphenol
4,4′-sulphonyldiphenol
Barium diboron tetraoxide
Bis(2-ethylhexyl) tetrabromophthalate covering any of the individual isomers and/or combinations thereof
Isobutyl 4-hydroxybenzoate
Melamine
Perfluoroheptanoic acid and its salts
reaction mass of 2,2,3,3,5,5,6,6-octafluoro-4-(1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropan-2-yl)morpholine and 2,2,3,3,5,5,6,6-octafluoro-4-(heptafluoropropyl)morpholine

Information on these substances’ uses and reasons for inclusion on the Candidate List is available on ECHA’s website.

ECHA’s Member State Committee confirmed the addition of these substances to the Candidate List. The Candidate List now has 233 entries – some are groups of chemicals so the overall number of impacted chemicals is higher.

These substances may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future. If a substance is on that list, its use will be prohibited unless companies apply for authorisation and the European Commission authorises them to continue its use.

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 enough 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 (17 January 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)