ECHA details proposal to restrict 10,000 PFAS online
Helsinki-based regulatory body the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published details of restrictions to the manufacture, sale and use of more than 10,000 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) proposed by Danish, German, Swedish, Dutch and Norwegian authorities last month.
Together, the authorities estimate that an additional 4.4 million tonnes of PFAS, often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’, could accumulate in the environment over the next three decades without any ruling to the contrary.
EHCA scientific committees for risk assessment (RAC) and socioeconomic analysis (SEAC) will now meet in March to discuss the proposal in light of its legality under the requirements of the European Union (EU)’s 2006 REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) regulation, a major, 849-page piece of legislation which originally took seven years to pass.
If an agreement is reached to move forward with scientific evaluation and opinion forming, a six-month consultation period is expected to begin on March 22.
RAC will then consider the appropriateness of the proposal in terms of human health and environmental impacts, whereas SEAC will form its own views in terms of its potential benefits, but also costs, to EU society as a whole. Their formal opinions will then be sent to the European Commission, who will ultimately decide on whether to implement any kind of restriction together with member states.
An online information session for those interested in participating in the process will take place on April 5.
“This landmark proposal supports the ambitions of the EU’s chemicals strategy and zero pollution action plan,” commented director for risk assessment at the EHCA, Peter van der Zandt. “While the evaluation of such a broad proposal with thousands of substances and many uses will be challenging, we are ready."
Watch a recording of the five countries’ presentation of their proposal to European media here and learn more about PFAS, and their potential Achilles’ heel, in our WSA features section.
