ECHA calls for comments to identify six new Substances of Very High Concern

On 1 September 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published 6 new proposals to identify Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). The consultation is open until 16 October 2023.

Substances of Very High Concern

SVHCs are substances that can have serious and often irreversible effects on human health and the environment. A substance that is identified as an SVHC will be added to the Candidate List for eventual addition to the Authorisation list. As of 14 June 2023, the Candidate list has 235 entries, some are groups of chemicals, so the overall number of impacted chemicals is higher. The Authorisation list has 59 entries. If a substance is on the Authorisation list, its use is prohibited unless the European Commission grants authorisation for continued use.

The proposed SVHCs

The six proposals that the ECHA is looking for comments on are listed in the table below:

Making Comments

The identification of SVHCs is based on the hazard properties of a substance. All interested parties are invited to submit comments during the. Comments are particularly welcome on:

• The identity of the substance (i.e. on the substance name/EC number/CAS number/molecular structure etc.)

• Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) or very Persistent and very Bioaccumulative (vPvB) properties and on other properties that give rise to equivalent levels of concern.

Comments for each substance can be made here by following the link to details and choosing making comments.

Comments relevant for the identification of a substance as an SVHC will be forwarded to the Member State Committee (MSC) which will assess whether the substance should be identified as an SVHC.