03 November 2008
Plasticiser manufacturers reject suggestion that DINP and DIDP should be on REACH Candidate List
Brussels, 3 November 2008 - European manufacturers have rejected suggestions from NGOs that DINP and DIDP should be considered Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and should therefore be placed on the EU REACH Candidate List.
In a statement issued to mark the publication of the Candidate List of substances for authorisation, a group of eight NGOs jointly suggested that the phthalates DINP, DIDP and DNOP should be treated in the same way as the three phthalates that have already been put on the list, DEHP, DBP and BBP.
The European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI) says this would be without any justification as DINP and DIDP do not meet any of the criteria for such a listing (DNOP is not a commercially produced substance).
"They are not classified as Carcinogenic, Mutagenic or Reproductive toxicants (CMR) according to the EU Dangerous Substances Directive nor are they Persistent, Bioaccumulative or Toxic (PBT) or very Persistent very Bioaccumulative (vPvB)" said Dr Brigitte Dero, ECPI Director.
"Neither are they endocrine disruptors as defined by the internationally accepted definitions for endocrine disruption (the Weybridge definition and the International Programme for Chemical Safety (IPCS) definition) and they are not endocrine disruptors according to the criteria in the EU REACH guidance. So they cannot be considered as being substances of equivalent concern either".
These conclusions have been documented by international regulatory reviews over many years including the EU Risk Assessments, Classification and Labelling reviews, Oslo Paris Commission reviews on PBT and endocrine effects, and an OECD assessment of high molecular weight phthalates.
Echoing statements recently made by Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council, ECPI says it welcomes all constructive and realistic suggestions from all stakeholders to support REACH and to ensure its success. "However, robust criteria and reliable processes are crucial to ensure legal certainty and science based decisions in an already complex regulation," continued Dr Dero.
"Like some of the other recent suggestions and lists drawn up by specific interest groups, such statements are not part of the overall REACH legal design and could therefore potentially contribute to confusion throughout the value chain.
"We urge all parties involved to follow a unified approach under the guidance of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and not to make what amount to defamatory remarks about substances which can be used perfectly safely and without risk to human health or to the environment," said Dr Dero.
DINP and DIDP have already been pre-registered under REACH and the European manufacturers are now working together on preparing REACH registration dossiers.
Contact details
European Council for Plasticisers and Intermediates (ECPI)
Plastic Additives Group, Fine, Specialty, Consumer Chemicals Programme - FSCC
Cefic (The European Chemical Industry Council)
Av E van Nieuwenhuyse 4 (Box 2)
B-1160 Brussels
BELGIUM
Tel: 0032 2 676 7260
Fax: 0032 2 676 7392
e-mail: ccr
@cefic.be
Notes to editors
The NGO press release states that DINP, DIDP and DNOP are restricted for use under the EU Toys Directive. This is incorrect. They are restricted for use under the EU Marketing and Use Directive (76/769) but only in toys and childcare articles that can be placed in the mouth.