The REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and restriction of CHemicals)

ATMOSA operates in accordance with Article 20(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (“the REACH Regulation”).                

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has concluded the completeness check of ATMOSA registration for Phthalic anhydride. This registration by ATMOSA Petrochemie includes:

What exactly is REACH?

The REACH regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and restriction of CHemicals) was adopted on 18 December 2006 by the council of the European Union and entered into force on 1 June 2007. Over a period of 11 years it has been aiming to set up a registration system for chemical substances manufactured or imported in the European Union (at least one ton per year per substance).

There are three phases in the REACH process:

• Registration of the chemical substances: Manufacturers and importers are required to submit a dossier containing data about product dangers, risk evaluation and appropriate risk management measures.
• Evaluation of dossiers and chemical substances: The aim of this step is to ensure the compliance of the dossiers, data validity, and to request additional information. The purpose of substance evaluation is to make sure that the use of these substances is not harmful to human health or the environment.
• Authorization: Some substances are classified as of very high concern (SVHC). The use of these substances is subject to authorization in order to reduce the risk to human health and the environment.

The European Union created an agency responsible for the technical and administrative aspects of this system – the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), based in Helsinki (Finland).

In addition to REACH, there is the CLP regulation (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) related to the classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures. The latter regulation is based on the GHS classification system.