The Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) and the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) play a crucial role in safeguarding human health and the environment under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). These two committees form the integrated framework which was established by REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation, and Restriction of Chemicals) and CLP (Classification, Labelling, and Packaging) within the European Union.
The SEAC and RAC have recently spoken about the recent restriction on the PFAS of the mining and petroleum sector. The meeting was held during the month of September where the SEAC and RAC have discussed several factors in respect to the restriction for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS),
- Textiles, upholstery, leather, apparel and carpets; and
- Petroleum and mining;
- Food contact material and packaging
The above mentioned substances are that are commonly across various industries but need to be regulated due to the increasing environmental and health risks. The committee has reached the provisional conclusion regarding the mining and petroleum sector while the discussions are yet to continue in terms of food packaging and textile sectors.
The RAC also agreed to revise on the emissions of the PFAS, how they are calculated especially in the terms of waste disposal and the components that leach from the PFAS. The committee also emphasized on the differentiating the solid PFAS and the ones that leach from the materials as the fluoropolymer particles and non-polymeric PFAS posing potential risks.
Harmonized Labeling & Classification:
The meeting also witnessed that ECHA for RAC has also accepted the classification opinion on Talc which is a commonly emitted substance in many consumer products. The recommended classification by the RAC on Talc is
Carcinogen 1B, h450:
The Carcinogen 1B, h450 indicates that substances categorized under this classification cause cancer. The Talc from these components causes lung cancer and even ovarian cancer under certain circumstances.
STOT RE 1, h472:
The STOT RE 1, h472 classification indicates that Talc from the products can also cause lung damage due to the extended period of inhalation.
These classifications and labeling were made based on the animal study for the lung tumors while ovarian tumors for the humans. The studies on the lung damage due to inhalation did not restrict the single exposure route as there was insufficient evidence to rule out various other inhalation routes. Therefore, the classification about the inhalation routes is applied for all the routes of exposure.
Upcoming Discussions:
The RAC and SEAC have initiated future meetings regarding the further discussions during the month of November for evaluating the construction products. It is also expected that committee will also be involved in the PFAS in the following industries,
- Transport
- Applications of fluorinated gasses
- Energy
Apart from the above, the SEAC and RAC have also taken into the consideration of around 24 opinions the review and authorization reports about the chromates which are the potential harmful chemicals used for the industrial applications affecting the environment and human health. Also, the RAC have also agreed on the 13 draft opinions and 10 by SEAC the same. Finally the RAC has approved the 2 opinions on OELs to safeguard the workers from the workplace from the potential chemicals.
Hence, ECHA along with this committee of SEAC and RAC are every possible step to protect human health and the environment. With Sunstraeam, you can stay ahead of the compliances as we support REACH Compliance, conflict mineral compliance, and SDS to ensure your supply chain and workplace adhere to the compliance changes.
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