Call to action on glutaraldehyde
Northampton-based industry body Leather UK has said the European Commission intends to press ahead with a proposal to add glutaraldehyde to the REACH Directive list of substances of very high concern (SVHC). This move, which would have implications for glutaraldehyde’s use in leather production, is on the basis that the chemical is a respiratory sensitiser.
If classified as SVHC, the use of glutaraldehyde will only be possible with an authorisation, Leather UK said on flagging up the development. Authorisation dossiers are very complex and costly, it added. Companies involved in the production of wet-white, chrome-free and synthetically tanned leathers are likely to be negatively impacted by the proposed restriction.
A consultation on the classification of glutaraldehyde as an SVHC is now open and Leather UK has urged businesses that will be affected by the proposed restriction to contribute. It pointed out that opinions from companies based outside the European Union are welcome. It asked that companies submitting an opinion send a copy to Leather UK.
The ECHA dossier and consultation response document can be found here.
This proposed change comes in the context of a probable reduction in the CrVI limit for leather (to 1ppm) and the potential regulation of Bisphenol-S, another of the other key chemicals in syntans.
