Highlights from June RAC and SEAC meetings

ECHA/NR/24/17

The Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC) have provisionally concluded on four sectors that could be impacted by the proposal to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the EU. They also announced the next sectors to be evaluated.

Helsinki, 13 June 2024 – In their June meetings, RAC and SEAC reached provisional conclusions on the following sectors from the EU-wide proposal to restrict PFAS:

• Consumer mixtures, cosmetics and ski wax (discussed already in the March plenary); and
• Metal plating and manufacture of metal products (discussed in June).

Furthermore, RAC provisionally concluded on the scope of the proposal and the hazards of PFAS. The primary concern with PFAS, according to the committee, is their persistence, meaning that PFAS can remain in the environment for a very long time. Moreover, some PFAS may be of additional concern to the environment and human health. RAC also considered that the exclusion of certain PFAS from the scope of the restriction based on their potential degradation in the environment is not sufficiently justified.

The conclusions agreed at RAC and SEAC meetings are provisional until the committees finalise the evaluation of the entire restriction proposal (including all sectors of use) and adopt their opinions. These opinions will then be communicated to the public.

The committees also announced the sectors they will evaluate in the upcoming meetings. In September, they will focus on:

• Textiles, upholstery, leather, apparel, carpets (TULAC);
• Food contact materials and packaging; and
• Petroleum and mining.

After September, the next sectors for discussion are:

• Applications of fluorinated gases;
• Transport; and
• Construction products.

ECHA is making every effort to progress opinion making, following the updates made to the proposal by the five national authorities. The opinions will be delivered to the European Commission as soon as possible.

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Other outcomes of the June meetings:

• RAC adopted seven opinions on harmonised classification and labelling.
• RAC agreed on seven and SEAC on 11 draft opinions on applications for authorisation.
• RAC and SEAC adopted three opinions applications for authorisation.
• RAC adopted two opinions on occupational exposure limits (OELs).

More details about these opinions can be found in the annex.

Listen also to the topical highlights in our Safer Chemicals Podcast with the RAC Chair Roberto Scazzola and the Chair of SEAC, María Ottati.

The opinions and meeting minutes will be available on RAC’s and SEAC’s web pages in the near future. 

Press contact: Hanna-Kaisa Torkkeli, press@echa.europa.eu, +358 50 416 8585