For example, retailers such as the clothing company H&M are paying close attention to the list, as they have a duty to tell their U.S. chemical companies have The EU’s long-debated chemicals customers what’s in their merno choice but to get on board legislation, known as the Registrachandise,” he adds. with REACH if they want to contion, Evaluation, Authorisation, But officials with environmentinue to do business in the EU. and Restriction of Chemicals tal, health, and consumer groups The candidate list is the first step (REACH), is finally under way. In across Europe stress that the 15 in a long process. The 15 subthe first stage of the process, the chemicals on the list are merely a stances, officially published on OcEuropean Chemicals Agency drop in the ocean compared with tober 28, 2008, are either carcino(ECHA) has published a candidate the hundreds of welllist of 15 “substances of known dangerous subvery high concern”; this stances present in list is intended to flag the products used every day. chemicals most dangerous “The candidate list was to consumers and to spur supposed to be very long the development of safer because the second replacements. stagesthe authorization The legislation allows listswould be limited by European consumers to resources and time, with ask retailers whether any the ECHA only managing products on store shelves to work on 10-20 subcontain the 15 chemicals. stances a year,” explains Manufacturers are obliNinja Reineke, with WWF gated to inform consumEurope, an environmental ers within 45 days of the organization. inquiry whether such Geert Dancet, the execuchemicals are present in Under REACH, EU consumers can now get information on tive director of ECHA, has the products on sale in whether any product contains certain chemicals of “high defended the list’s length, the EU market. Chemical concern”. citing new administrative manufacturers are also genic; very persistent, bioaccuprocedures and scarce resources. obliged to tell downstream mulative, and toxic (PBT); or toxic He added that ECHA will add to userssother companies that buy to reproduction. The list includes the list at least once a year. or use these chemicalssthat three phthalates: bis(2-ethylhexyl) This is not enough for a coalithese substances have been phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and tion of public interest groups and identified as being of very high benzyl butyl phthalate; and the nongovernmental organizations concern. brominated flame retardant (NGOs), which published a list of In a further step forward, any hexabromocyclododecane. Chemiits ownsdubbed the “SIN” (Subcompany that failed by Decemcals on the list are potentially substitute It Now) listsin September ber 1, 2008, to preregister any ject to the authorization process 2008, naming 267 substances that chemical was in violation of EU under REACH. Once included on meet the REACH criteria. They law if it made or imported that the authorization list, substances included the phthalates DINP, substance after the deadline. cannot be placed on the market or DiDP, and DNOP and bisphenol Companies that preregister their used after a so-called sunset date A, a well-known endocrine dischemicals buy themselves more unless the company is granted an rupter. NGOs are now focusing time before they have to seek authorization. Authorizations may their efforts on lobbying EU full registrationsup to Decembe granted for certain users or exmember states to propose more ber 2010 if they make more than posures, for example. The first set chemicals for the list. 1000 metric tons of a substance. of chemicals subject to authorizaDitz, who was involved in deFull registration requires the tion is due to be published in the veloping the SIN list, notes that producer to report complete fall of 2009. the NGOs’ efforts to accelerate health and safety information. The candidate list provides an the candidate list have found alThe effects of REACH are exearly warning system to chemilies in the business world, such as tending well outside the EU. cal users and the public, Ditz Dell Computer and Sony Ericsson, Daryl Ditz, a senior policy adsays. “The list could influence the mobile phone manufacturer. viser at the Center for Internabusiness decisions even before tional Environmental Law, a —MARIA BURKE authorizations or restrictions. nonprofit organization, says that ISTOCKPHOTO
The start of something big
10.1021/es803484p
2009 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 12/24/2008
February 15, 2009 / ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 9 977
