ECHA announces reclassification proposal for Methylene Chloride

Following the closure of the substance evaluation (SEV) of methylene chloride under the Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) and the publication of the Italian Substance Evaluation (SEv) conclusion report on ECHA’s Substance evaluation - CoRAP website in late August 2021 (see ECSA news here), on 20 March 2023 ECHA published the announcement for an official Harmonised classification and labelling (CLH) proposal (see the entry in the Registry of CLH intentions until outcome). However, no CLH report is available yet.

The announcement is the starting point for the CLH process to change the classification and labelling of a substance in the EU. ECSA members, operating via the Chlorinated Solvents REACH Consortium (ChlorSolv), will join forces to challenge the proposed classification during the CLH process. ECSA and ChlorSolv members are still confident that the proposed classification is not justified in view of the plethora of high quality data.