Member states or the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) can propose substances to be identified as an SVHC. There are two substances currently proposed:
• Bis(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)ether; (Tetraglyme) (EC 205-594-7, CAS 143-24-8). The substance can be used as a solvent/extraction agent in inks and toners.
Dioctyltin dilaurate, stannane, dioctyl-, bis (coco acyloxy) derivs., and any other stannane, dioctyl-, bis(fatty acyloxy) derivs. wherein C12 is the predominant carbon number of the fatty acyloxy moiety. These substances are not registered under REACH. The mono-constituent form of the substance (dioctyltin dilaurate) is used in adhesives and sealants.
If a substance is identified as an SVHC, it will be added to the Candidate List for eventual inclusion in the Authorisation List. The deadline for public consultation is 16 October 2020.

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) now contains 209 substances that may have serious effects on people or the environment. These may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future, which means that industry would need to apply for permission to continue using them. Companies may have legal obligations when their substance is included in the Candidate List - either on its own, in mixtures or in articles.
In this update, three out of four substances are toxic to reproduction and are used in industrial processes to produce polymers, coating products and plastics, respectively. The other one is an endocrine disruptor used in consumer products, such as cosmetics.

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) now contains 209 substances that may have serious effects on people or the environment. These may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future, which means that industry would need to apply for permission to continue using them. Companies may have legal obligations when their substance is included in the Candidate List - either on its own, in mixtures or in articles.
In this update, three out of four substances are toxic to reproduction and are used in industrial processes to produce polymers, coating products and plastics, respectively. The other one is an endocrine disruptor used in consumer products, such as cosmetics.

A new measure signed into law on 7 Feb by Gov. Andrew Cuomo will enact new regulations on chemicals found in children’s products sold in New York state. The Child Safe Products Act creates and maintains lists of dangerous or questionable chemicals and requires manufacturers to report any substances used in their products. By 2023, the state will ban the sale of products that use certain chemicals, including asbestos, and certain flame retardants. The Department of Environmental Conservation is responsible for notifying consumers of the presence of dangerous chemicals.

An app is being launched across the EU that allows consumers to scan products for substances of very high concern (SVHCs). The app – Check Chemistry – has been developed as part of the pan-European AskREACH project. Consumers will be able to use their mobile phones to scan a product’s barcode and gain access to this information.

The European Chemicals Agency has included four more substances on its REACH candidate list of Substances of Very High Concerns (SVHCs), which now contains 205 chemicals. The list comprises of substances that may have serious effects on human health or the environment and which are candidates for eventual inclusion in the Authorization list (Annex XIV).
The substances included in the Candidate List for authorisation on 16 January 2020 are:
• Diisohexyl phthalate (CAS 71850-09-4) – added due to its toxicity to reproduction
• 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-4'-morpholinobutyrophenone (CAS 119313-12-1) – added due to its toxicity to reproduction
• 2-methyl-1-(4-methylthiophenyl)-2-morpholinopropan-1-one (CAS 71868-10-5) – added due to its toxicity to reproduction)
• Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and its salts – added as it causes probable serious effects to human health and the environment

The European Chemicals Agency, ECHA, has published a list of over 21,000 REACH-registered substances mapped in its 'chemical universe'. The substances have been divided into five pools based on the regulatory actions in place, initiated or considered for them. It also highlights that there are still thousands of substances for which possible actions have not yet been determined. The chemical universe does not indicate whether a substance’s use is safe or not – it is mainly to help authorities focus their actions. The assignment to a pool is also not permanent – substances will move from one pool to another over time when new information becomes available or priorities change.

ECHA has added four new substances to the Candidate List due to their toxicity to reproduction, endocrine disruption and a combination of other properties of concern on 16 July 2019. The four substances are listed below:
1. 2-methoxyethyl acetate
2. Tris (4-nonylphenyl, branched and linear) phosphite (TNPP) with ≥ 0.1% w/w of 4-nonylphenol, branched and linear (4-NP)
3. 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-2-(heptafluoropropoxy)propionic acid, its salts and its acyl halides (covering any of their individual isomers and combinations thereof)
4. 4-tert-butylphenol

A joint enforcement project undertaken by the Nordic countries has found hazardous substances in over one-fifth of free promotional items tested. According to the Norwegian Environment Agency, inspectors found restricted substances above the limit mostly in soft plastic gadgets – due to the presence of softeners, like DEHP and SCCPs – as well as in toys, and electrical and electronic products.
The detected items contained either restricted substances in concentrations exceeding limit values or those on the REACH candidate list of SVHCs in concentrations over 0.1%. A final report of the joint enforcement project will be published this month (May 2019).

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has mapped substances on the EU market in a bid to help authorities identify, plan, monitor and regulate substances of concern. There are three groups of substances:
• 270 substances are high priority for risk management.
• 1,300 substances are high priority for data generation.
• 450 substances are low priority as sufficient regulation exists, and 500 substances have been concluded to be currently of low priority after assessment.
ECHA mentioned the focus is on the 4,700 substances registered above 100 tonnes. And more than 40% of these substances have been allocated to the above categories. The substance list will be published at the end of the year.