Summary of the task 1.2 - REACH influence
The new regulation replaces several existing Community Directives and Regulations on chemicals and defines new tasks and responsibilities for actors mentioned under REACH with the aim to strengthen protection of health and the environment. REACH is an abbreviation, which means: Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals.
According to the REACH regulation Article X all substances produced or imported in EU above 1 t/y should be registered. This new system should insure the development of more data on the intrinsic properties of substances as well as to identify exposure routes of substances (according to the identified uses of ones). All this data will be provide in registration dossier (technical part of dossier and CSR) and the quantity of data will depend on the amount of annually produced/imported chemical substance. Therefore, the principal "no data - no market" will be implemented on EU level.
On the other hand, information on safe uses, properties, and risk management measures (RMM), routes of exposure down the chemical substance supply chain will be provided by the tool - safety data sheet (SDS) of chemical substance or preparation (mixture). It means that all needed data for the safe use of the chemical substance or preparation will be included in the SDS. According to the new legislation just few minor changes will be implemented in format of SDS (the most relevant for the downstream users, etc. construction industry, is that exposure scenarios for the substance identified uses need to be presented in annex to SDS). This means that in general SDS format to provide information on chemicals will be used and needs to be included in the system. As SDS needs to be periodically up-dated the date of last revision of the SDS should be visible.
For the downstream users to check the status of substance could be useful possibility to search a registration number. Also information on identified uses for the substance/registration number will be automatically presented. One of the main issues to which users of chemicals should be acknowledged is RMM. Each of identified uses should contain information on needed RMM.
Extract of information from SDS on classification and labeling of substance should be also available (as the new CLP regulation came into the force it should be noticed that the current C&L has transitional periods for the substances and preparations, so the system should be able to present information on the C&L according to the both systems: previous and new one, consistent with GHS). This information (physico-chemical hazards, hazards to environment and human health, risk and safety phrases) is needed at workplace to protect workers and environment and should be communicated down stream to employees within company also. It should be mentioned that system should contain „search“function (etc. by the property/hazard, by the use, by the substance).
According to the REACH regulation substances of very high concern will be included in the list of substances which requires authorisation prior their use. Also use, manufacture of some substances can be restricted. This information on need of authorisation or on restriction should be pointed out in the system (if the authorisation for some substance or use of this substance is granted the number of authorisation should be provided). Also the substances which do not need authorisation or not restricted, but have some properties (etc. PBT, vPvB) which could lead to the inclusion of the substance in one of the lists should be marked in the system.
As the users of chemicals in some cases have long experience of working with these substances and could have some additional (to known by the supplier) information on properties and RMM of these chemicals, possibility to put comments on it should be provided within the system.