EU to evaluate 21 substances this year
108 substances on final 2018-20 Corap list, 17 new additions

21 March 2018 / Europe


Echa has adopted its updated Community Rolling Action Plan (Corap) for the period 2018-20.

The Corap is a list of substances drawn up by Echa and EU member states that are to be evaluated over three years. Between them they develop risk-based criteria for selecting the chemicals that includes hazard and exposure information and tonnage.

The 2018-20 list contains 108 substances for evaluation by member states. There are 17 newly allocated chemicals [see box] with the remainder published in the previous Corap in March last year. All substances included on the list have more than one ground for concern.

This year eight member states will assess 21 substances. And in a nod to Brexit, substances previously allocated to the UK for evaluation in 2019 and 2020 have been passed to other member states, as the country will leave the EU in March next year. Last July, the UK said it would consider its commitment to conduct proposed evaluations already in the 2017-19 Corap, and whether it would propose additional substances to those already in the current Corap for the 2018-2020 programme.

Substances
Four of substances to be evaluated in 2018 are from among those added for the first time this year:

amphoteric fluorinated surfactant;
3-ethoxy1,1,1,2,3,4,4,5,5,6,6,6-dodecafluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)hexane;
antimony trichloride; and
2,5,7,10,11,14-hexaoxa1,6-distibabicyclo[4.4.4] tetradecane.
The first two are suspected of having persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and/or very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) properties, while the final two are potential carcinogens and reprotoxins.

Antimony trichloride has been under scrutiny the US recently. In January, a US peer review panel voted to accept the three key outcomes of a draft assessment of antimony trioxide that concludes the substance is 'reasonably anticipated' to be a human carcinogen.

In 2019, at least 42 substances will be assessed and in 2020 a minimum of 45. However, by the end of March 2019 the Corap list will be updated again and may include changes for chemicals listed for 2019 and 2020. New substances may also be added.

Member states will evaluate three new chemicals in 2019, and ten the following year.

Registrants of Corap list substances may be asked to provide further information so that authorities can fully investigate the suspected concern. Echa said they should coordinate their actions and contact the evaluating member state.

The agency has also urged registrants to update their dossiers, especially for uses and exposure scenarios. They will have an opportunity to comment, before any decision to request further information is taken. Draft decisions will be reviewed by other member states and Echa ahead of a final decision.