Since 17 January 2023 ECHA, the European Agency for Chemicals, has added
nine chemicals to the
Candidate List due to their
dangerous properties.
Candidate List SVHC “Substances of Very High Concern” now contains 233 related entries to chemicals that can harm people or the environment.
Among the 9 substances added in this latest revision there is also
melamine which in the wood furniture supply chain is a substance used both in the resins to produce panels and in the resins used for the impregnation of the covering papers.
These substances may in the future be included in the authorization list (Annex XIV).
If a substance is included in the authorization list, its use will be banned unless companies apply for authorization and the European Commission authorizes them to continue their use.
Companies are responsible for managing the risks of these chemicals and must also provide their customers with information on how to use them safely.
Under REACH, companies have
legal obligations when a substance they use is included alone or in mixtures on the SVHC list.
Suppliers of articles containing a substance from the SVHC list above a concentration of 0.1% (weight by weight) must provide their customers and consumers with information to use them safely.
Consumers have the right to ask suppliers whether the products they buy contain dangerous substances.
Also under the Waste Framework Directive, companies also must notify ECHA if the articles they produce contain SVHC substances in a concentration above
0.1% (weight by weight). This notification is published in ECHA's database on substances of concern in products (SCIP).
A meeting of the CEN/TC 112/WG 5 technical committee was held on 23 February which, following the inclusion of melamine in the list of substances of concern, proposed a
reference test method to determine the concentration of melamine in wood-based products.
The
CATAS chemical laboratoryis already able to process wood-based samples for the determination of free melamine.
For info:
Daniele Bergamasco
0432 747249
bergamasco@catas.com
Flaviano Collavini
0432 747253
collavini@catas.com
