The “Study for the Review of the List of Restricted Substances under RoHS2” had already recommended four substances for potential restriction under the RoHS 2 Directive (see February 5, 2014 blog post). The EU Commission has now signalled that they intend to consider a fifth substance for possible restriction by requesting a detailed assessment of the impacts of a possible restriction of diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP) in EEE. DIBP had been identified as one of eight the highest priority substances in the study. The EU Commission is concerned that the restriction of the DBP Phthalate will lead to additional use of DIBP as a substitute. However, DIBP has many of the same hazards as DBP and these hazards will become more prevalent with increased use of the substance.

The EU Commission is undertaking the new study to (1) conduct a detailed assessment of DIBP, and (2) capture additional usage data for 21 of the priority substances in EEE. The EU Commission expects the consultants to conduct Stakeholder consultations as part of the process.

The public consultation closes on April 4, 2014. The overall duration of the contract is expected to be 5 months, suggesting that the EU Commission will try to hit it’s July 22, 2014 goal for completing the review of the RoHS 2 Annex II list of restricted substances and producing a delegated act to amend the Annex.