ECHA

Greetings from an autumnal Helsinki. As the days start to shorten and the winter beckons, I realise that the next REACH deadline will be over by the time we experience our next wonderful 24 hour day of sunshine here in Helsinki. So the big workload for us, as well as for many of you, lies ahead!

With the 2013 deadline for phase-in chemicals fast approaching, the Second Lead Registrants Workshop provided a final opportunity for lead registrants to share their experiences, information and tips for registration.

At the Lead Registrants Workshop, ECHA Newsletter interviewed few of the participants on their experience with REACH registration, managing substance information exchange forums (SIEFs) and the challenges for smaller companies of being a lead registrant.

In order to reduce animal testing, duplication of work, and to minimise costs, REACH requires the sharing of data among the registrants of the same substance. As the 31 May 2013 registration deadline is approaching, read our tips for successful data sharing.

To support potential and existing registrants to better fulfil their REACH obligations on data shar­ing and joint submissions, ECHA has developed a new functionality in REACH-IT.

Multiple registrants of the same substance share two main obliga­tions under the REACH regulation: data sharing and joint submission.

Having 136 substances on the Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC) by the end of 2012 is the policy target set out by the Commission in spring 2010. This target is likely to be achieved. The focus has now shifted to how to use the REACH and CLP information to identify new substances and uses which would require regulatory risk management actions and how to choose the best approach to tackle the concerns in each case.

The IT-based screening of all REACH intermediate dossiers conducted by the Agency has raised serious quality and potential compliance concerns. As a result of the screening, ECHA identified 2 388 potentially non-compliant dossiers from 574 registrants, representing 760 substances registered with intermediate use.

ECHA is moving ahead with the evaluation of nanomaterials, following the agreement of the Member States' competent authorities during its workshop on nanomaterials at the end of May.

ECHA evaluates information on mutagenicity in dossiers, both for compliance checks and testing proposal examinations. A higher-tier study may be necessary to examine the potential for somatic cell muta­genicity in vivo.

Delegates participating in the triennial global chemicals management conference in Nairobi in mid-September took a keen interest in the new EU chemicals legislation and ECHA. They asked questions about the current status of REACH and CLP implementation and considered our simple CLP game as an excellent tool in teaching the GHS classification and labelling pictograms.

Independence and transparency are core values of the Agency. Every day, in all of its activities, the Agency aims to ensure that it is independent from all external interests, takes science-based decisions and that it is as transparent as possible. To ensure this, ECHA has had a system for preventing and handling potential conflicts of interest in place from the very start and has over the past two years strengthened its policy and procedures.

On 18 September, Vice President Antonio Tajani, representatives of the European Commission and a high level delegation from the Chemical Industry visited ECHA to discuss REACH implementation. The focus was especially on innovation and competetiveness, and how to best support SMEs.

ECHA's Executive Director Geert Dancet visited Romania and Bulgaria in September and October, meeting with the Ministers for Environment. Further improvement of cooperation, resource needs and support for industry were among the topics discussed in both countries.

Tim Bowmer has joined ECHA as Chairman of Committee for Risk Assessment on 1 September. Over the last ten years, Mr Bowmer has been working at TNO in the Netherlands in different positions related to the risk assessment of chemicals.

He has been chairing several bodies at international level such as the United Nations Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) and its working groups, in particular on the hazards of chemicals in bulk maritime transport. Mr Bowmer is Irish, has lived in the Netherlands for many years and he is an ecotoxicologist by training.

During its meeting on 27-28 September, ECHA's Management Board elected Nina Cromnier as its new Chair and adopted the work programme for 2013. The Board also endorsed a new approach for the multi-annual work programme and adopted provisional eligibility criteria for the appointment of members of ECHA's bodies and key staff.

Substitution of chemicals is not easy, but it is a process that is already ongoing, concludes a survey report on REACH. ECHA Newsletter interviewed Mr Chris Eacott from Stewardship Solutions Ltd, UK and Ms Anne-Sofie Andersson from the International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) to get their views on substitution.