ECHA starts to publish information on safe use of chemicals for citizens

12-22-2009: The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published on its website hazard and safe-use information on chemical substances that have been registered. Over time, this growing database will permit citizens to make well informed decisions about the use of chemicals or articles containing chemicals they purchase. The information was provided by companies who manufacture or import these substances. It will be updated each time additional information is received by ECHA.

Public access to information on chemicals is a central element of the REACH Regulation and shall allow EU citizens to make informed decisions about the use of chemicals to which they may be exposed. Also workers will benefit from this by safer use of chemicals at the work place. By making available the first safety information submitted under the REACH Regulation, ECHA is starting to implement this important aspect of the Regulation. In a dedicated section of the ECHA webpage you can find information on substances which companies manufacture or import in the EU: their hazardous properties, their classification and labelling and how to use them safely.

The amount of information provided can be different for individual substances – for example, the higher the production volume of the substance, the more information the companies need to provide. It is possible that some information is not disseminated because companies have claimed confidentiality. That information may become available at a later stage after ECHA has decided whether these claims are justified.

The number of substances for which information is available in the database will increase considerably over time as more registrations are received by ECHA. ECHA is publishing the information as submitted by the companies in their registration dossiers as required by the REACH Regulation. This means that the information is not verified by the Agency.

The current webpage is in a pilot form that has been derived from technical dossiers used for registration purposes. It is planned to dramatically improve the presentation, layout and search functions.