From August 31 to October 15, 2015 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is holding a public consultation on seven proposals to identify new substances of very high concern (SVHCs). These seven potential SVHCs have been proposed by ECHA itself, as well as by EU Member States Germany, Sweden and Austria: 1,3-propanesultone (CAS 1120-71-4), 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(5-chlorobenzotriazol-2-yl)phenol (UV-327, CAS 3864-99-1), 2-(2H-benzotriazol-2-yl)-4-(tert-butyl)-6-(sec-butyl)phenol (UV-350, CAS 36437-37-3), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP, CAS 84-61-7), hexamethylene diacrylate (HDDA, CAS 13048-33-4), nitrobenzene (CAS 98-95-3), and perfluorononan-1-oic acid and its sodium and ammonium salts (CAS 375-95-1, 21049-39-8, 4149-60-4). DCHP is included in several inventories of food contact materials (FCMs), such as the U.S. food additive list by the Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew list), the ESCO working group list of non-plastic FCMs, and the FACET list of FCMs. It is also included in the SIN list (Substitute it now!), in the Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX) list of substances with endocrine-disrupting effects, and it is categorized as an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) in the European Commission EDC database. UV-327, UV-350 and HDDA are included in the Annex VI lists of permitted substances for the manufacture of packaging inks of the Swiss Ordinance on Materials and Articles. UV-327 and UV-350 are proposed as SVHCs because they exhibit ‘very persistent and very biocaccumulative’ (vPvB) properties. Inclusion of HDDA in the SVHC list is reasoned with ‘equivalent level of concern having probable serious effects to human health’. All interested parties are invited to submit comments on ECHA’s website. The consultation closes at 24:00 of the last day.

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ECHA (2015). “Substances of very high concern identification.

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