November 2018 Edition

ChemRegs Newsletter – November 2018

ECHA Launching new Biocidal Products Database

ECHA intends to make more information on biocides available from the end of November.

A consumer will be able to pick up a biocidal product in a shop and type its name into the ECHA public database. They will be able to see a map of the countries where the product is authorised to be used, what its main ingredients are and how to use it safely.

The aim is to make information on biocides more transparent and make it easier for companies and consumers to make more informed choices on biocides.

Information that will be available on the database will include –

  • Non-confidential assessment reports by national authorities
  • Updates to the authorisation status of products (amendments, revisions and renewals)
  • Summaries of product characteristics, containing key product information, such as:
    • product trade names
    • substances in the product and their concentrations
    • biocidal product composition
    • the manufacturer of the product
    • the manufacturer of the active substance
    • hazard and precautionary statements
    • the organism the product is targeted at
    • application methods
    • type of packaging
    • instructions for use.

However, information that can undermine the protection of the commercial interests or the privacy of the persons concerned will remain confidential. This includes details of the full composition of the product and the precise tonnage of the active substance or product manufactured or made available on the market.

The function of a non-active substance in a biocidal product will be considered confidential. The name of a non-active substance can also be considered confidential unless being aware of its existence is essential for the proper use of the product or the substance is of concern.

The biocidal products will be listed with their trade names in the database. However, users will be able to search for products using, for example, the product-type, the product authorisation holder’s name, or the market area.

The information on biocidal active substances will also improve and it will be possible to check the current status of active substances. This means it will be easier to trace where a substance is in the EU approval system, i.e. whether it is approved or still under evaluation by a Member State, or is it waiting for an opinion by the Biocidal Products Committee or for the final decision by the European Commission.

The database currently includes over 300 active substances used in different biocidal product-types.

The public database will only hold information on those biocidal products that have already been authorised for use in the EU. Those products that were on the market before 2000 can continue to be sold while the authorities are evaluating the active substances they contain.

Other News

ECHA’s PACT

ECHA has updated their public activities coordination tool (PACT) to add new features.

The PACT gives companies an overview of information on substances that are on an authority’s radar for potential regulatory risk management under REACH and the CLP Regulation. Users can find a summary of each activity per substance, and be directed to process-specific lists, which give an information on all the substances subject to a particular process. This advance notice enables companies to consider their business strategy and gives all stakeholders more time to prepare their contributions to the public consultations that are run as part of the formal risk management processes.

The information in the tool is given in a user-friendly format in the form of a table and is updated every 48 hours.

Inclusion in the PACT means that a Member State or ECHA is evaluating the substance; it does not mean that the substance has any of the suspected properties under examination or that further regulatory risk management actions will be imposed on the substance.

The updated tool now covers information about substance and dossier evaluation and allows users to follow the substance through the whole evaluation process.

It also contains information on substances that are in the registry of intentions for further risk management such as: harmonised classification and labelling, substance of very high concern (SVHC) identification or restriction.

Registrant can also use PACT to see if ECHA plans to check the compliance of their dossier or if national authorities are going to evaluate their substance soon.

However, PACT is not only for registrants but also for other industry, scientists and non-governmental organisations that can benefit from the overview.

PACT brings together eight different REACH and CLP processes into a dynamic table. The eight processes are:

  • Dossier evaluation (compliance check and testing proposals).
  • Substance evaluation.
  • Assessment of substances that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT).
  • Endocrine disruptor assessment.
  • Regulatory management option analysis (RMOA).
  • Registry of CLH (harmonised classification and labelling) intentions until outcome.
  • Registry of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) intentions.
  • Registry of restriction intentions.

To look for information on a particular substance, you can either scroll down the table or use the search option. In the search, you can look for information based on different substance identifiers such as the EC or CAS numbers or search specifically for each of the eight different processes.

Once you have found the substance, you will be able to see whether there are any planned, ongoing or completed activities under these processes.

If there are, there will be a number displayed in the relevant column in the PACT table. The number indicates how many activities there are for each process.

So if, for example, you find a substance and it has a number in the CLH column, clicking on the number will enable you to retrieve more details, such as the current and proposed harmonised classification, any reports, and the status and outcome of the process.

The Public Activities Cordination Tool (PACT) is available at https://echa.europa.eu/pact

For more information on anything in this Newsletter, please contact us at info@chemregs.co.uk

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