In future, uniform rules will apply to nanomaterials in the EU. During a REACH Committee, all Member States voted for the draft Commission Regulation amending several Annexes (Annexes I and III-XII) to REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals). The proposed amendments will clarify REACH registration requirements with regard to nanomaterials and address the knowledge gap on which substances registered under REACH are placed on the European market as nanomaterials and in which quantities.
The amendments will enable both companies and authorities to know more about the characteristics of nanomaterials, how they are used, how they are handled safely, what risks they potentially pose to health and the environment and how these risks are controlled.
The draft Regulation is now subject to a three-month scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council before being adopted by the European Commission. ECHA will already start to assess the need to update existing or issue new guidance to support registrants in complying with the new requirements. From 2020, detailed data will be requested during registration.
- European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), Helsinki, Finland
