This press release is brought to you by the ECHA concerning new substances added to the list of “Substances of Very High Concern” (SVHC).

With the addition of 54 new SVHCs to the Candidate List, it now contains a total of 138 substances and the target set by Vice-President Tajani and Commissioner Poto?nik to have 136 SVHCs on the Candidate List by the end of 2012 has been reached.

“The Agency is very pleased that this ambitious intermediate target has been reached which could not have happened without the consolidated efforts of the Member States, the Commission and the ECHA secretariat”, said Geert Dancet, Executive Director of ECHA. “We can now focus our energy on the longer term goal of ensuring that all relevant substances of concern are identified and addressed via the most appropriate risk management route. I believe that through the recent work on respiratory sensitisers, PBTs and endocrine disruptors we have created a solid foundation for the inclusion of all types of substances of concern in the 2020 roadmap that the Commission is currently debating with the Member States and ECHA.”

The legal obligations that companies may have resulting from the inclusion of substances in the Candidate List apply to the listed substances on their own, in mixtures or in articles. Producers and importers of articles containing any of the 54 substances included in the Candidate List by 19 December 2012 have six months from today to notify ECHA if both of the following conditions apply: (i) the substance is present in those articles in quantities totalling over one tonne per producer or importer per year and (ii) the substance is present in those articles above a concentration of 0.1% weight by weight.

The Candidate List now contains 138 substances. As foreseen by REACH, a specific procedure will be followed to decide whether the substances should also be included in the List of substances subject to authorisation (Annex XIV of the REACH Regulation).

For the full press release and a complete list of substances on the SVHC please refer to the link above.