ECHA Weekly: Risks identified from PVC additives and microparticle releases

REACH

European Commission decisions on applications for authorisation

Commission has granted a total of 26 authorisations for 12 uses of the following substances (review period expiry dates are in brackets):

Biocides

Highlights from November BPC meeting

Our Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) adopted three opinions on Union authorisations in its November meeting. To conclude the opinion on an active substance application for bronopol, the Committee will convene to an additional virtual meeting on 12 December 2023.

Listen to our Safer Chemicals Podcast with the committee Chair Joost van Galen for more details.

Support for product authorisation available

We have published the following documents related to setting shelf-life and post-authorisation conditions:

All documents apply from 15 August 2023 for all ongoing and new national, simplified and Union product authorisation applications, except for the document for shelf-life setting that only applies for new product authorisations submitted after 15 August 2023.

Previous versions of these documents are considered obsolete.

Revised procedure for managing new information on biocidal active substances

The revised documents below apply from 7 August 2023 for all product authorisation applications, as well as active substance approval and renewal applications. Previous versions of these documents are considered obsolete.

Consultation on the draft act proposing to extend the Review Programme

The European Commission is asking for comments on its draft act concerning the extension of the review period for existing active substances in biocidal products.

Have your say until 21 December 2023.

European Commission decisions on active substances

Commission decisions approving:

Commission decision not approving:

Read more about the product-types on our website.

European Commission decisions on Union authorisation

Commission has granted a Union authorisation for:

ECHA

Piotr Sosnowski is new Deputy Chair of RAC

Dr Piotr Sosnowski has been appointed Deputy Chair of the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) as of 1 November 2023.

He has been working in ECHA since August 2007 and has a master’s degree in environmental protection and PhD in technical science. Piotr is Polish.

Court judgments

Court confirms ECHA’s Board of Appeal decisions on substances used in cosmetic products

In cases T-655/20 and T-656/20, the General Court has dismissed the actions brought by Symrise against decisions of ECHA’s Board of Appeal (cases A-009-2018 and A-010-2018) which upheld two ECHA compliance check decisions requesting further information on the properties of the substances homosalate and 2-ethylhexyl salicylate.

The judgments clarify that chemical substances that are used as ingredients in cosmetic products may be subject to animal testing under REACH to establish that workers are safe.

Others

REACH Committee meets in December

The next meeting of the European Commission’s REACH Committee will take place on 14 December 2023. The agenda is available online.