Dangerous substances list brings new duties for companies
November 3rd 2008

Any organisation supplying items which could contain Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) are advised to take note of a new list published by The European Chemicals Agency.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has included 15 substances in the Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) for authorisation which has been published on the ECHA website.

It will be regularly updated when more substances are identified as SVHC. ECHA urges companies to check their potential obligations resulting from the Candidate List.

The Candidate List forms part of the REACH Regs – the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals, a new European regime for the regulation of chemicals, aimed at ensuring a high level of protection for human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals.

ECHA’s executive director Geert Dancet said: “All companies should take note of the

Candidate List. It is critical they know that the inclusion of the substances in the list generates immediate new legal obligations for the communication in the supply

chain.”

The Candidate list pages on the ECHA website provide an up-to-date version of the list as well as background information on it and related obligations.