The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) website provides a clue to future Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC).
There have been many reports on how frequently future batches of SVHCs will be published by the ECHA.
A popular view is that they will be every 6 months commencing this summer, at a rate of 25 per year.
However, the current status is outlined on the ECHA site, and suggests that another batch is unlikely in the very near future.
The necessary dossiers are currently being compiled on 12 SVHCs for submission during August. A further 2 have, as yet, no date against them.
Allowing for consultation it is unlikely that this batch will be published before early 2010.
If approved, the design engineer will need to seek a different alternative. While there are several, most are not hazard free and their properties differ.
Directive Decoder
Gary Nevison, Head of Legislation at