What is REACH?
Registration:
Substances are registered for specific use using generic use descriptors. Manufacturer/importer (M/I) and downstream user (DU) have agreed the uses to be supported up and down the supply chain.
If the use is not supported in the registration THE SUBSTANCE CANNOT BE USED. REACH is concerned with the manufacture or import of chemicals that are placed on the market. E.g. if a material is formed as part of the manufacturing process and subsequently sold or placed on the market it will need to be registered. Chemicals disposed of as waste are not subject to REACH, although they are covered by separate waste legislation.
Registration requires a dossier to be produced including a chemical safety report (CSR). The CSR includes assessment of risk to human health and risk management measures (RMM) to adequately control the risk of exposure. Registration is phased over a period of time depending on tonnage manufactured/imported and hazard.
1st December 2010:
>1000tonnes/yr
>100Tonnes /year if Environmental hazard (R50/53)
>1 Tonne/year if substance of very high concern (SVHC) including carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxic agents
Evaluation:
The submitted dossiers are evaluated by ECHA with a goal to authorising and restricting uses of chemicals which have a potential to give rise to adverse risk of exposure to hazardous substances
Authorisation and Restriction:
Substances on the candidate list will/may be authorised for specific uses with specified RMM or may be restricted for use.
Chemicals for inclusion on the candidate list can be proposed by member states.
Intermediates:
Chemicals that are classified as intermediates are still required to be registered, although if the process can be defined to operate under strictly controlled conditions (SCC) then a lower cost of registration applies.
Non isolated intermediates can be defined as an intermediate that is transferred without being isolated in a tank, drum, vessel, IBC etc. typically for less than 24 hours. Non isolated intermediates are not required to registered under REACH.