How does a chemical get onto Annex XVII of REACH?
Articles 68 and 69 of REACH provide for the process of introducing a new restriction or amending a current one, and proposals for such restrictions can be prepared by Member States or by ECHA on request of the Commission. The proposal, in the form of a dossier, must demonstrate that there is a risk to human health or the environment that needs to be addressed at EU-wide level.
In addition to this route of including a substance in Annex XVII, the sale and use by the general public/consumers of substances that are classified as carcinogen, mutagen or reproductive toxins (categories 1A and 1B) is prohibited, and their presence in consumer articles may also be restricted.
Interested parties have an opportunity to comment during different stages of public consultation within the process and ECHA Committees provide opinions on proposed restrictions before a final decision on whether to include the substance in Annex XVII or not is taken by the European Commission, in consultation with Member States.
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