EU round up: EU blocks antifouling biocide, despite European Agency saying it is safe in food

European Union (EU) officials are withholding the renewal of market authorisation for a controversial anti-fouling ingredient, despite it being supported as safe to the environment and humans by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

The EU standing committee on plants, animal health and food has refused to deliver an opinion on re-authorising the herbicide active substance glyphosate, which has been incorporated into marine coatings to prevent the formation of biofilms. USA researchers have concluded that acrylated glyphosate can be blended into a model polyolacrylate formulation and copolymerised and can be applied as a coating without releasing the biocide into the environment. "EFSA gave a positive assessment on glyphosate and this should be respected, otherwise trust in EU procedures will be broken altogether,” said EU food industry association Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen.

Other EU regulatory news affecting the paint and coatings sector:

New rules linked to EU chemical control system REACH designed to prevent chemicals causing skin and eye irritation and acute dermal toxicity were due to come into force on June 20, ahead of incoming rules on skin sensitisation due to be released this autumn (2016). It will force most companies filing information for a REACH classification or risk assessment to make sure tests are undertaken through non-animal methods. See http://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/863/oj

• The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is upgrading its REACH-IT dossier submission and communication tool to make it easier for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) to use as they approach the last REACH registration deadline of May 2018. This will cover chemicals made in or imported into the EU in quantities of between one and 100t and as a result, could affect smaller paint and coatings manufacturers more than previous registration deadlines, which covered larger volumes.

The new system will allow companies to more easily access previously submitted information through the ‘substance overview’ page; see deadlines affecting them, for example updates requested by ECHA, through a ‘new tasks’ page; submit their member registration dossiers online; assess their company size and provide supporting documentation to prove their SME status under REACH, which reduces filing requirements; and have one user managing registrations for several companies. http://echa.europa.eu/support/dossier-submission-tools/reach-it and http://echa.europa.eu/press/press-material/pr-for-reach-2018

• ECHA has also published an inventory of substances likely to be regarded as hazardous, helping companies identify when they can submit a registration with a reduced set of information covering only physicochemical properties for chemicals manufactured or imported into the EU in quantities between one to 10t/yr. If chemicals are hazardous, full information sets must be filed. See http://echa.europa.eu/view-article/-/journal_content/title/new-support-for-companies-registering-low-tonnage-low-risk-chemicals