Chemicals & Plastics

ECHA Enforcement Forum launched REF-14 to ensure products containing hazardous mixtures are correctly classified, labeled, and packaged.

On May 29, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the latest version of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory, which includes 886,770 chemical substances, of which 42,377 are active chemicals. This update to the TSCA Inventory includes the addition of more than 130 substances formerly on the confidential list and 29 existing substances.

On June 24, 2024, the UK’s CLP authority, HSE, announced that it has granted legal effect to 88 chemical substances listed in the UK’s Mandatory Classification and Labelling (GB MCL) list. This update took effect immediately upon its release and complies with regulations. The updates are based on the 14th and 15th Adaptations to Technical Progress (ATP), which update the CLP Regulation, issued by the European Commission.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has officially announced the 31st batch of 1 substances of very high concern (SVHC), bringing the total number of substances on the SVHC list (also known as the Candidate List) to 241.

On May 13, 2024, the European Commission, guided by EU Regulation No. 528/2012 and Directive No. 98/8/EC, extended the expiry date of the active substance cis-tricos-9-ene (CAS No.: 27519-02-4) for use in biocidal products of product-type 19 until March 31, 2027. This extension takes effect 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

In accordance with REACH regulations, before conducting tests under Annex IX and X (for registration volumes of 100-1000 tons per year and over 1000 tons per year), registrants must submit a testing proposal (TP). After a consultation period, ECHA will finalize the testing requirements based on feedback and the characteristics of the substance.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a consultation on an application submitted by its Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (CTACSub 2) for the authorization of Chromium trioxide (EC 215-607-8, CAS 1333-82-0). This application covers twelve specific uses across three categories: mixture formulation, functional chrome plating on components, and surface treatments in aerospace and other industries.

On April 15, 2024, Germany, as one of the five initiating countries of the European Union’s proposal to restrict perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (the other four countries include the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), updated its assessment report based on the numerous comments collected during the six-month public consultation phase from March 22, 2023, to September 25, 2023. The assessment work was conducted by the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA)

On May 20, 2024, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align with the 7th Revised Edition of the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The amendment includes elements from the 8th Revised Edition of the GHS and retains certain U.S.-specific requirements. The regulation takes effect on July 19, 2024, with compliance required by January 19, 2026, and for mixtures by July 19, 2027.

On May 8, 2024, authorized by the European Commission, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) expanded its REACH XV restriction proposal to include at least 12 Chromium (VI) compounds, supplementing the initial measures for Chromium trioxide and Chromic acid introduced in September 2023.

Canada declared modifications to the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA).

The Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine has issued the Ukraine REACH Resolution – “On the Approval of Technical Regulations on the Safety of Chemicals” and is open for comments as of March 22, 2024.
The Ukraine REACH draft, identical to the one submitted to the World Trade Organization in 2023, establishes the Ukrainian chemical legislative framework and aims to align Ukraine’s chemical safety regulations with EU standards. Foreign companies that are importers, manufacturers or represented by a local sole representative, companies that sell chemicals (substances/mixtures) on the Ukrainian market, as well as downstream users of these chemicals will be affected by Ukraine REACH.