One hazardous chemical added to the Candidate List

ECHA/NR/22/12

The Candidate List of substances of very high concern now contains 224 entries for chemicals that can harm people or the environment. Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and must also give their customers and consumers enough information to use them safely.

Helsinki, 10 June 2022 – N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide has been added to the Candidate List as it may cause cancer or genetic defects. It is mostly used in polymers and when manufacturing other chemicals, textiles, leather or fur.

Entry added to the Candidate List on 10 June 2022:

The Candidate List now has 224 entries – some are groups of chemicals so the overall number of impacted chemicals is higher.

These substances may be placed on the Authorisation List in the future. If a substance is on that list, its use will be prohibited unless companies apply for authorisation and the European Commission authorises them to continue its use.

Consequences of the Candidate List

Under REACH, companies have legal obligations when their substance is included – either on its own, in mixtures or in articles – in the Candidate List.

Suppliers of articles containing a Candidate List substance above a concentration of 0.1 % (weight by weight) have to give their customers and consumers enough information to be able to use them safely. Consumers have the right to ask suppliers whether the products they buy contain substances of very high concern.

Importers and producers of articles will have to notify ECHA if their article contains N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide within six months from the date it has been included in the list – 10 June 2022. Suppliers of substances on the Candidate List, supplied either on their own or in mixtures, have to provide their customers with a safety data sheet.

Under the Waste Framework Directive, companies also have to notify ECHA if the articles they produce contain substances of very high concern in a concentration above 0.1 % (weight by weight). This notification is published in ECHA’s database of substances of concern in products (SCIP).