REACH

REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)

The Chlorinated Solvents REACH Consortium was formed in 2009 to register five chlorinated solvents with ReachCentrum acting as secretariat for the consortium. The following substances (EC number; CAS number) have been successfully registered by ECSA members in 2010:

  • Dichloromethane (DCM) or Methylene Chloride (200-838-9; 75-09-2)
  • Chloroform (CFM) or Trichloromethane (200-663-8; 67-66-3)
  • Carbon Tetrachloride or Tetrachloromethane  (200-262-8; 56-23-5)
  • Trichloroethylene (TRI) (201-167-4; 79-01-6)
  • Tetrachloroethylene or Perchloroethylene (204-825-9; 127-18-4)

More information about this REACH Consortium is found here

DCM

REACH, Annex XVII, entry 59: No use in paint strippers for consumers and professionals; use by trained and certified professionals only in member states, which have granted an exemption (currently: UK). Use of DCM based paint strippers by industry only in closed systems with effective ventilation and by trained employees. Please find the full restriction here

CFM

REACH, Annex XVII, entry 32: Shall not be placed on the market, or used,

  • as substances,
  • as constituents of other substances, or in mixtures in concentrations equal to or greater than 0,1 % by weight, where the substance or mixture is intended for supply to the general public. Please find the full restriction here.

TRI

REACH, Annex XVII, entry 28: for supply to the general public when the individual concentration in the substance or mixture is equal to or greater than:

  • either the relevant specific concentration limit specified in Part 3 of Annex VI to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, or,
  •  the relevant generic concentration limit specified in Part 3 of Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008

See also TRI authorization to the right. 

Authorisation of Trichloroethylene.

Trichloroethylene has been added to ANNEX XIV of REACH on 21st April 2013 with the following dates:

  • Application Date: 21st October 2014 (Date by which applications for authorisation must be submitted to allow continued uses after the sunset date),
  • Sunset Date: (21st April 2016)

Trichloroethylene can only be used after the sunset date when a downstream user or his supplier holds an authorisation for a particular use or the use falls under certain exemptions such as intermediate use or use in scientific research and development below 1 month/year (which includes the use in quality control). Please contact your supplier if trichloroethylene is mandatory for your operations and you want to continue to use it.

Please refer to the webpage of the European Chemical Agency ECHA for further information on authorisation.

Other Restrictions

DCM

Cosmetic Regulation, Annex II, no. 1389: No use in cosmetic products for consumers or professionals. None of the other chlorinated solvents under ECSA are compliant to the use in cosmetics or any other consumer use.

See details in the section ODS Regulation