HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS IN PRODUCTS

Enviropass offers products assessment, consultation, and training services regarding the management of hazardous/toxic chemicals in products:

Do you need to verify the compliance of your products?

We will recommend you the best testing option depending on the complexity and the materials under investigation:

Analytical testing. Enviropass offers very competitive prices through a network of ISO 17025 certified laboratories. Our deliverables are chemical testing reports, interpretation, certificates of conformity, or corrective action plans.
Documentary review. Enviropass works with your supply chain and follows the most admitted standards, like IEC 63000.
Audit of your technical file, procedures, and substance control measures.

What are these Hazardous Chemicals in Products?

Chemicals are everywhere. There are natural occurrences, but also synthetic substances, from our everyday products to the most complex professional devices.

Because of their properties, chemicals enable the design, development, and sale of the most astonishing technologies. These chemicals are plasticizers, hardeners, stabilizers, curing agents, flame retardants, pigments, lubricants, solvents, diluents, catalysts, etc.

Despite their valuable intrinsic benefits, scientists know or suspect that some of these substances are hazardous to the environment and human health. Hence public awareness and chemical regulations in various products.

Examples of Hazardous Chemicals in Products and their Dangers

Here are some of the common harmful chemicals with their associated hazards:

Confirmed of suspected Hazard	Substance Name	Use
Carcinogen	Cadmium carbonate	Fongicides
Mutagenic	Potassium dichromate	Pigments
Reprotoxic	Benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP)	Plasticizer
Persistent and bioaccumulative	Alkanes, C10-13, chloro (Short Chain Chlorinated Paraffins, SCCPs)	Flame retardant in rubber and plastics
Endocrine disruptor	Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP)	Plasticizer

Regulations to Control Hazardous Chemicals in Products

As a result, various governmental agencies worldwide have been developing a set of regulations to prohibit, restrict, and monitor the use of certain hazardous substances in some products or applications:

RoHS

This acronym stands for Restriction of the Use Of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

REACH, SVHC, and the SCIP Database

The REACH regulation includes an obligation to declare Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC). In the European Union, producers must report the SVHCs contained in their products via the SCIP database. The REACH Annex XVII has also listed certain prohibited or restricted substances.

Persistent Organic Pollutants - Halogens

The POP regulation restricts the use of brominated and chlorinated halogen chemicals.

TSCA Compliance in Articles

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the US Environmental Protection Agency restricts the import and the use of certain hazardous chemicals in products. In-scope chemicals include persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) substances, such as the PIP (3:1) plasticizer. TSCA also rules per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) like PFOA, which are present in various products, like coating applications in electronics.

Proposition 65 and Chemical Label

Prop. 65 warnings apply to products introduced into the Californian market that contain chemical(s) known to the State of California to cause cancer, birth defects, and other reproductive harm.

Biocides

Biocidal products regulation (BPR) must be registered and labeled accordingly.

Medical Devices

The medical devices regulation (MDR) also includes restrictions on certain substances and labeling obligations.

End of Life Vehicles

Similar to the RoHS regulation, the ELV Directive specifically applies to automotive products.

IMDS and GADSL

The International Material Data System applicable (IMDS) to the automotive industry allows the communication of materials and hazardous chemicals in products. The Global Automotive Declarable Substance List (GADSL) also gives a list of banned, restricted, and declarable substances.

Batteries and Packaging

Batteries and packaging items require specific restrictions on heavy metals.

Safety Data Sheets

Safety Data Sheets (SDS) must contain specific information about chemicals, including:

hazard identification;
composition/information ingredients;
first aid measures;
fire-fighting measures;
accidental release measures;
handling and storage precautions;
exposure controls/personal protection equipment;
physical and chemical properties;
stability and reactivity;
toxicological information;
ecological information;
disposal considerations;
transport information; and
regulatory information.

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Environmental Assessment