EU round up: EU registration deadline for biocidal products has now passed

Coatings companies seeking to ensure their biocidal product supplies are legal in the European Union have to check European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) databases, now a September 1 deadline for registering biocidal products has passed.

Under the European Union (EU) biocidal products regulation, from that date, biocidal products cannot be sold within the EU unless the substance supplier or product supplier is listed by ECHA within a product type directory.

Exceptions apply for some biocidal products where an active substance dossier has yet to be validated by a national regulator. ECHA keeps its register up-to-date, see http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17287015/2015_active_substance_suppliers_en.pdf

An ECHA note stressed that some applications for inclusion on the list were still outstanding and they may be included later, see http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/17287015/active_substances_list_of_pending_app_en.pdf

These included 3-iodo-2-propynylbutyl-carbamate (IPBC)-based coating and wood preservative supplied by Germany’s Thor GmbH; and the same company’s coating preservative, based on zinc pyrithione. Another is a sodium hypochlorite-based slimicide supplied by Slovenia’s TKI Hrastnik.

• Meanwhile, ECHA has also released guidance on how downstream users of chemicals should undertake safety assessments under EU chemical control system REACH that gives specific case studies on coatings. This includes general industrial uses of coatings and inks regarding ‘control of worker exposure: dipping, immersion and pouring’. See http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13655/pg17_du_csr_final_en.pdf

• The EU chemical agency has also published new support pages and an introductory guide on European chemicals legislation in 23 EU languages for manufacturers, importers, distributors and users of chemical-based products. It includes special information for companies using biocides or trading hazardous chemicals. See – http://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/21332507/guide_chemical_safety_sme_en.pdf and http://echa.europa.eu/support/getting-started

• New safe industrial coatings preventing fires, explosion or damage to electrical equipment are on the market, having been developed by a €1.1M EU-financed research project. The TransCond project has developed a range of sprayable, transparent and conductive coatings and paints for sensitive industrial sites where sparks could cause expensive accidents, said a European Commission note. It said the new paints would ‘replace conventional coatings normally used in such areas’. Project partners included Britain’s Smithers Rapra Technology Ltd; TBA Electro Conductive Products Ltd; Poland’s Kolor Mix SA; and Cyprus’ A.P.T Archimedes Polymer Technologies Ltd.

Project co-ordinator Tadeusz Spychaj, of Poland’s West Pomeranian University of Technology, said: "Such next-generation conductive coatings technologies are needed to meet the growing market needs for good quality products that are cheaper, environment-friendly and safe.” See http://www.transcond.org