The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has been requested by the EU Commission to prepare an Annex XV restriction dossier (under Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), Regulation (EC) 1907/2006) on the use of formaldehyde and its releasers in articles and in mixtures in concentration <0.1% by consumers.
Formaldehyde is harmful to human health, and is widely used in the EU/EEA by consumers, in articles, by professional workers, in formulation or re-packing, at industrial sites and in manufacturing. It is registered under REACH in volumes exceeding one million tonnes per year.
The decision by the Commission to request an Annex XV dossier follows an investigation carried out by ECHA on possible formaldehyde releasers and their use in the EU. With this call for evidence, ECHA seeks to collect information on:
- any use of formaldehyde in mixtures for use by consumers in concentration < 0.1% and in articles and use of formaldehyde releasers in mixtures for consumer use and in articles.
- possible releases of formaldehyde from articles and on its source.
- the technical and economic implications of setting up limits in formaldehyde released from articles and setting up a maximum allowed concentration of formaldehyde in mixtures used by consumers below the classification limit of 0.1%.
Anyone who could be affected by a possible restriction or who holds relevant information is kindly invited to provide responses by 11 April 2018.
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