ECHA welcomes improved clarity on nanomaterials in the EU - Member States vote to amend REACH Annexes

ECHA/NR/18/23

The REACH Committee has voted to amend REACH Annexes to explicitly address nanoforms of substances. The specific requirements will address the knowledge gap on which substances registered under REACH are placed on the market as nanomaterials and in which quantities. We will also know more about their basic characteristics, their uses and how to handle them safely. The draft Regulation is now subject to a 3 month scrutiny by the Parliament and Council before being adopted by the Commission.

Helsinki, 26 April 2018 – During the REACH Committee on 26 April, Member States voted for the draft Commission Regulation amending several Annexes to REACH. The proposed amendments will clarify REACH registration requirements with regard to nanomaterials and address the knowledge gap on which substances registered under REACH are placed on the market as nanomaterials and in which quantities.

The amendments will enable both companies and authorities to know more about the characteristics of nanomaterials, how they are used, how they are handled safely, what risks they potentially pose to health and the environment and how these risks are controlled.

The draft Commission Regulation is now subject to scrutiny by the Parliament and Council for a period of three months before being adopted by the Commission. ECHA will already start to assess the need to update existing, or issue new guidance to support registrants in complying with the new requirements.

As soon as the proposal is formally adopted, ECHA encourages registrants of nanoform substances to familiarise themselves with the amendments and assess what action they need to take to comply.