In a press release published on July 16, 2019, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) informed that it has added four new substances to the REACH Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) for authorization. With this addition, the SVHC list “now contains 201 substances.” The reasons for addition were “toxicity to reproduction, endocrine disruption, and a combination of other properties of concern,” which refer to causing “probably serious effects to human health and the environment, giving rise to an equivalent level of concern to carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic (CMR), persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances.”

All four of the newly included substances and/or substance groups are potentially relevant for food contact materials (FCMs). They include:

  • 2-methoxyethyl acetate (CAS 110-49-6), included because it is “toxic to reproduction.” This substance is “not registered under REACH.” It is included on the FACET list for FCMs and on the Council of Europe (CoE) list for paper and board FCMs.
  • “Tris (4-nonylphenyl, branched and linear) phosphite (TNPP) with >=0.1% w/w of 4-nonylphenol, branched and linear (4-NP),” no CAS number, included because of “endocrine disrupting properties (Article 57(f)-environment).” This substance mixture is “primarily used as an antioxidant to stabilize polymers.”
  • “2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propionic acid, its salts and its acyl halides (covering any of their individual isomers and combinations thereof),” multiple CAS numbers, included because of “equivalent level of concern having probable serious effects to the environment (Article 57(f) – environment)” and “equivalent level of concern having probable serious effects to human health (Article 57(f) – human health).” These substances are used as a “processing aid in the production of fluorinated polymers.”
  • 4-tert-butylphenol (CAS 98-54-4), included because of “endocrine disrupting properties (Article 57(f) – environment.” This substance is “used in coating products, polymers, adhesives, sealants and for the synthesis of other substances.” It is authorized for use in food contact plastics in EU (Regulation (EC) No 10/2011) and included on the FACET list for FCMs and on several other lists for food contact plastics and printing inks.

 

Read more

ECHA (July 16, 2019). “Four new substances added to the Candidate List.”

Caterina Tani (July 16, 2019). “ECHA adds four substances to REACH candidate list.” Chemical Watch

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