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REACH

Introduction to the Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 18, 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

REACH is the chemicals regulation for the European Economic Area (EEA) that has been in effect since June 1, 2007. It replaces 40 individual laws and is broad in scope, covering almost all chemical substances, compounds and mixtures (formally known as preparations) as separate elements in their natural state or as used in selected products. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) ensures that REACH is implemented and monitored.

The motto of REACH is "No data, no market" and means that enterprises wanting to put chemical substances, mixtures and certain products on the market in the EEA are required to adhere to the following legal obligations regarding registration, evaluation, authorization, and restriction:

Registration: Manufacturers and importers must pre-register/register each chemical substance produced in or imported into the EEA in amounts exceeding 1 ton/year.
Evaluation: Manufacturers and importers must collect all relevant data and make this data available to the ECHA in order to evaluate the impact of each substance on human health and the environment.
Information: Specific information needs to be passed along the entire supply chain, if an article contains any substance of very high concern (SVHC) – i.e. substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction, or a persistent, bio accumulative and toxic substance, or a very persistent and very bio accumulative substance – in a concentration above 0.1 percent weight by weight. The ECHA records all SVHCs in the "candidate list" which is updated every six months.
Authorization: The use of certain SVHCs requires authorization. These selected SVHCs are part of the authorization list (REACH Annex XIV).
Restriction: The REACH regulation also pertains to the restriction of manufacturing, trading, and using certain hazardous substances, mixtures and articles. These restrictions have been in effect for some time according to EEC Regulation 76/769 and were transferred to REACH Annex XVII effective June 1, 2009.

The electronics and electrical engineering industries are obligated to comply with the registration and information requirements described above and to comply with all restrictions defined in REACH. With the continuous inclusion of substances in Annex XIV, authorization is also becoming increasingly important.

2011-Mar-08 | Author

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Introduction to REACH

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REACH

Introduction to the Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of December 18, 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH).

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