ECHA launches public consultation on 54 potential substances of very high concern

ECHA has launched a public consultation on 54 potential Substances of Very High Concern. The public consultation will be open for 45 days and will end on 18 October 2012. Interested parties can post their comments on the ECHA website.
The European Commission has requested ECHA to prepare Annex XV dossiers for 37 substances on their behalf. Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom have also put forward proposals for the identification of 17 substances.
Amongst the substances, 44 are proposed to be identified as SVHCs on the basis of their classifications as carcinogenic, mutagenic and/or toxic for reproduction (REACH Article 57(a–c)). One of these substances is also suggested as being of equivalent concern in accordance with Article 57(f) based on its endocrine disrupting properties (Press Release ECHA, 3 September 2012).