The European Commission recently published Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/227 which amended Annex XVII of REACH by creating a new entry (#67) which restricts Decabromodiphenyl ether (DecaBDE).This new restriction will apply to substances, mixtures and articles from 2nd March 2019.
DecaBDE is widely used as an additive flame retardant with applications in many different sectors, in particular in plastic and textile articles but also in adhesive, sealants, coatings and inks.
DecaBDE was identified as a persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substance (PBT) and a very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substance in accordance to REACH. As a result, DecaBDE has been included in the Candidate List of Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) for authorisation since December 2012.
However, the Commission considered that making DecaBDE subject to the authorisation list was no longer the most appropriate regulatory measure. Therefore, the Commission proposed to restrict the manufacture, placing on the market or use of DecaBDE, on its own, as a constituent of other substances, in mixtures or in articles and as such has been added to Annex XVII of REACH.
Click here to access the summary of the decision.
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