In an article, published on November 5, 2022, in Nature Communications, Jessica Coria and co-authors from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, analyzed factors that drive a chemical’s inclusion in the REACH’s Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHCs).
Specifically, the authors considered toxicological properties, economic interests, and available scientific knowledge and their relative importance in listing SVHCs on the Candidate List. They also compared the Candidate List to alternative ones: (i) the substances registered under REACH (22,425 chemicals as of February 2020), (ii) the Substitute it Now (SIN) list (999 chemicals, FPF reported), and (iii) the PRIO list of hazardous substances developed by the Swedish Chemical Agency (1938 chemicals). In contrast to the Candidate List, the latter two are non-regulatory lists, meaning they are developed by experts outside the political context.
As Coria and co-authors had hypothesized, their analysis confirmed that toxicological properties (i.e., hazard reduction aims), as well as the availability of scientific data, are important drivers of including substances on the Candidate List. Accordingly, it “supports the view that it is easier to regulate chemicals for which there are well-documented effects.” The researchers pointed out the need to better study the effects of the many widely used chemicals for which scientific knowledge is lacking.
However, the most important determinant for inclusion on the Candidate List was found to be the fact that a chemical was not produced or imported (anymore) into the European Economic Area. This was the case for 144 substances, out of the 303 substances listed as SVHCs as of February 2020. Based on these findings the authors assumed that “low-hanging fruit has been picked first”, meaning that chemicals are rather included if they have well-documented effects and if their listing does not affect the economic interest of European countries. They concluded that the process requires “a fundamental redesign […] to that hazardousness becomes the most important driver of inclusion on the Candidate List, and that hazardous chemicals produced or imported in the European Economic Area are listed even if they affect the economic interests of European firm.”
In the European Union, Member States, or the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) can propose chemicals to be included on the Candidate List of SHCVs. Hazard properties that may identify a substance as SVHC are if it is carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction (CMR); persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT); very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB); or raise equivalent levels of concern. Substances that have successfully undergone a prioritization process are included on the Authorization List which means they are forbidden on the European market unless the European Commission grants authorization.
The Candidate List also includes several SVHCs used in food contact materials (FPR reported and here). In May 2022, a study identified 388 food contact chemicals of concern, i.e., harmful according to the criteria laid out in the EU’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability (CSS, FPF reported). These chemicals also include such listed on the REACH SVHC list.
Reference
Coria, J. (2022). “Economic interests cloud hazard reductions in the European regulation of substances of very high concern.” Nature Communications. DOI 10.1038/s41467-022-34492-2
Read more
Lars Magnussen (November 10, 2022). “Economic interests cloud hazardous chemicals reductions.” University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics
