News

  • Broad use of alternatives for chemical safety assessment

    August 22, 2023

    Adaptations continue to be used more than experimental studies, with read-across being the most frequent option. In vitro non-animal test methods have seen a significant uptake in recent years   The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published its fifth report on the use of alternatives…

  • ECHA adds nine hazardous chemicals to Candidate List

    January 21, 2023

    The Candidate List of substances of very high concern now contains 233 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and must also give their customers and consumers information to use them safely. …

  • ECHA receives PFASs restriction proposal from five national authorities

    January 18, 2023

    The national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a proposal to ECHA to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) under REACH, the European Union’s (EU) chemicals regulation. ECHA will publish the detailed proposal, one of the broadest in the EU’s…

  • Reported trade of hazardous chemicals increased following Brexit

    December 15, 2022

    The reported volume of chemicals exported from and imported to the European Union (EU) under the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation, significantly increased in 2021 due in large part to the United Kingdom’s withdrawal. ECHA’s latest annual report on the trade of certain hazardous chemicals…

  • One in four substances recovered from waste non-compliant with REACH

    November 21, 2022

    Results from a Forum pilot enforcement project on substances recovered from waste reveal that 26 % of checked substances are in breach of REACH. Inspectors checked 46 cases to find out if substances recovered from waste met the conditions for exemption from REACH registration. Firstly, they…

  • Next EU-wide REACH enforcement project to focus on imported products

    November 21, 2022

    The Enforcement Forum of ECHA agreed that the next REACH enforcement project will investigate how companies fulfil the registration, authorisation and restriction obligations for products and chemicals they import from outside the EU. The project will be done in 2023-2025 and will require close cooperation…

  • QSAR Toolbox extension broadens possibilities for animal-free chemicals assessment

    August 21, 2022

    The new add-on helps users to predict chemical properties, including endocrine activity, while avoiding testing on animals. The OPERA extension contains models for predicting properties that are important for assessing chemical hazards. The extension can be used to screen chemical databases to identify substances that…

  • Companies submitted 450 UK REACH registrations in first year of legislation

    August 18, 2022

    Companies submitted 450 UK REACH registration dossiers in 2021, with 303 passing basic checks and in receipt of a registration number by the end of the year, according to a report from Britain’s Health & Safety Executive. There are ongoing checks for 94 dossiers (21%),…

  • PFAS ban proposal delayed

    June 2, 2022

    The European REACH restriction proposal to ban poly- and perfluorinated alkyl subsances (PFAS), which could include HFC and HFO refrigerants, has been delayed for six months to allow time to assess the applications. The restriction proposal, which could have major consequences for the refrigeration and...

  • Glyphosate: no change proposed to hazard classification

    May 31, 2022

    CHA's Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) agrees to keep glyphosate’s current classification as causing serious eye damage and being toxic to aquatic life. Based on a wide-ranging review of scientific evidence, the committee again concludes that classifying glyphosate as a carcinogen is not justified. RAC...