On January 12, 2017, ECHA published its update to the REACH Candidate List by adding four SVHCs (Substances of Very High Concern), bringing the total number of SVHCs on the Candidate List to 173 entries.
The update typically occurs in December but was delayed by ECHA until January 2017 due to the timing of the Member State Committee (MSC) meeting (December 12-16, 2017). The MSC must approve each addition to the Candidate List before the update is implemented.
Four of the six SVHCs that were under consideration[1] for the Candidate List were unanimously approved by the MSC. The four that were added are listed in Table 1. Two of these four SVHCs are potential constituents of EEE products. Please see the article “IEC 62474 – Declarable Substance List Updated” in this report for additional information.
The other two substances under consideration did not receive unanimous agreement among the MSC members. These are: 4-tert-butylphenol (PTBP) (endocrine disruptor), and benzene-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid 1,2-anhydride (trimellitic anhydride, TMA) (respiratory sensitiser). Both substances had been identified as equivalent to CMR/PBT; making the determination more subjective. ECHA will submit the MSC opinions for these substances to the European Commission for review — the Commission has three months to prepare draft proposals and take final decisions. Additional information is available in a press release posted by ECHA[2] on December 19, 2016.
Table 1: SVHCs Added to the REACH Candidate List on January 12, 2017
| Substance name | EC number | CAS number | SVHC property | Examples of use(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4,4’-isopropylidenediphenol (bisphenol A; BPA) | 201-245-8 | 80-05-7 | Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c) | Manufacture of polycarbonate epoxy resins and chemicals; hardener in epoxy resins |
| Nonadecafluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and its sodium and ammonium salts | 206-400-3, 221-470-5 | 335-76-2, 3830-45-3, 3108-42-7 | Toxic for reproduction (Article 57c) PBT (Article 57d) | Lubricant, wetting agent, plasticiser and corrosion inhibitor |
| p-(1,1-dimethylpropyl)phenol | 201-280-9 | 80-46-6 | Equivalent level of concern having probable serious effects to environment (Article 57f) | Manufacture of chemicals and plastic products |
| 4-heptylphenol, branched and linear [substances with a linear and/or branched alkyl chain with a carbon number of 7 covalently bound predominantly in position 4 to phenol, covering also UVCB- and well-defined substances which include any of the individual isomers or a combination thereof] | - | - | Equivalent level of concern having probable serious effects to environment (Article 57f) | Manufacture of polymers; formulation into lubricants |
Note: although ECHA included the commonly used synonyms of bisphenol A and BPA as part of the substance name in its press release, the official Candidate List only includes the proper substance name (4,4’-isopropylidenediphenol) without any synonyms.
[1] EU REACH Candidate List of SVHCs, https://echa.europa.eu/web/guest/candidate-list-table
[2] ECHA press release, https://echa.europa.eu/-/member-state-committee-issues-four-svhc-agreements-and-two-opinions