ECHA Publishes Guidance on REACH Restrictions
November 6, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published information concerning restrictions on chemical substances under the European Union (EU) regulation for REACH - Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals.
If a chemical substance poses an unacceptable risk to health or to the environment, it can be restricted under the restriction process described in Title VIII of the REACH regulation.
Restrictions operate as a "safety net" to manage risks that are not addressed by other REACH processes. Proposals for restrictions can be prepared by EU member states or by ECHA on the request of the European Commission.
The new restriction section of ECHA's web site was created to give easy access to core information on restrictions to competent authorities and stakeholders in the EU member states.
It also facilitates access to the relevant guidance documents and the submission format to be used by authorities when a restriction proposal is being prepared.
In addition, it explains the main actors and steps to be taken to arrive at a new or modified restriction, along with describing existing restrictions.
ECHA said it plans to further develop the web pages on restrictions over the coming months.
For more information, see the new Restriction section of the ECHA web site.
Source: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).