Request to RAC and SEAC to prepare supplementary opinions on perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorooctanoic acid restrictions

On 16 January 2019, ECHA submitted to the Commission the RAC and SEAC opinion on a restriction proposal on the manufacture, placing on the market and use of C9-C14 PFCAs, their salts and related substances (hereafter C9-C14 PFCAs), where a number of derogations for specific uses of C9-C14 PFCAs were proposed1 . Several of the proposed derogations from the restriction for C9-C14 PFCAs referred to derogated uses for PFOA and related substances included in entry 68 of Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation.

However, with the listing of PFOA and related susbtances in Annex I of the EU POP Regulation2 , the restriction entry for PFOA under REACH will be deleted and some of the derogations (termed exemptions under the POP regulation) will be changed. This will, in turn, affect the proposed derogations from the restriction for C9-C14 PFCAs. Additionally, after the finalisation of the RAC and SEAC opinion on the proposed restriction for C9-C14 PFCAs, the Commission received two additional requests for derogations from industry.

Link to the Mandate on perfluorocarboxylic acids and perfluorooctanoic acid restrictions