Silica: Companies Criticize ECHA Decision

The ECHA has defined synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) as a nanomaterial, meaning that – according to REACH – the substance must be included in the Community Rolling Action Plan (CoRAP) and revaluated. In its decision, the ECHA requires manufacturers to provide data on the special physical and chemical properties of the material, undertake studies that can serve as the source of special information on toxicity, and so on.

A group of 35 companies is protesting the ECHA decision. It sees no reason to include SAS in the CoRAP list and claims that the actions of the ECHA are illegal.

SAS is used in polymers, gums, lacquers, paints, and paper to improve their properties. But it is also mixed into food supplements to maintain products ability to flow freely.
According to a report of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, silica is the most widely used nanomaterial on the market in terms of volume.

Please check to see if your previous REACH registrations also cover the sale of your materials in nanoform. If that is not the case, you must enhance the registration accordingly.
If you have questions about REACH or nanoproducts, please contact us: reach@kft.de.