From December 27, 2015 restrictions come into force on eight PAHs in articles made from plastic and rubber which come into direct, prolonged or short term repetitive skin contact.
What is the regulation?
Commission Regulation (EU) No 1272/2013 published in official journal of European Union on 07 Dec 2013, amended Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 REACH as regards Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
What are PAHs?
PAHs are organic compounds that are carcinogenic, mutagenic and harmful to the reproductive system. They include over 150 types of compounds such as naphthaline, anthracene, phenanthrene and pyrene. They exist in a wide range of petrochemical products such as plastic, rubber, crude oil, lubricant, rustproof oil, form release agents, mineral oil and tar, and in daily chemicals such as pesticides, charcoal, germicides and mosquito-repellent incense.
Regulation update
Under the REACH Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 Annex XVII, Entry 50, the following eight PAHs have long been restricted in extender oils used in tyres.
- Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP)
- Benzo(e)pyrene (BeP)
- Benzo(a)anthracene (BaA)
- Chrysen (CHR)
- Benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbFA)
- Benzo(j)fluoranthene (BjFA)
- Benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkFA)
- Dibenzo(a, h)anthracene (DBAhA)
From December 27th 2015, the restriction will be extended to cover more categories:
- Articles with direct as well as prolonged or short-term repetitive contact with the human skin or the oral cavity, made of plastic and rubber shall not contain more than 1 mg/kg (0.0001 % by weight of this component) of any of the listed PAHs
- Such articles include amongst others:
- Sport equipment such as bicycles, golf clubs, racquets
- Household utensils, trolleys, walking frames
- Tools for domestic use
- Clothing, footwear, gloves and sportswear
- Watch-straps, wrist-bands, masks, head-bands
- Toys, including activity toys, and childcare articles, shall not contain more than 0.5 mg/kg (0.00005 % by weight of this component) of any of the listed PAHs
What Proof of Compliance is required?
It is likely that suppliers of retailer own-branded products will be required to provide test certification for products that are in scope, whilst branded products will need a declaration of compliance. TRG will collect the documentary evidence for proof of compliance on behalf of our customers. If proof of compliance is requested and you believe your product is not in scope you may be required to provide technical justification.