JULY 2022

Dear Reader,

Thank you for your continued interest in our newsletter which comes in difficult times: first the Covid pandemic, and now the war in Ukraine have shaken our industry and our customers. In this context, we in Formacare hope for the situation to stabilise as soon as possible. The last 6 months have been quite busy for Formacare: the procedure for the ongoing restriction was finally unlocked, US authorities unveiled their draft assessment of formaldehyde and the members of Formacare finally managed to meet again and for the first time since Covid.

In parallel, the Formacare team continued to work on new stories on formaldehyde, to continue to highlight all the benefits this interstellar chemical provides.

The next months are expected to be bumpy: the European Commission will release multiple legal initiatives from the Green Deal and the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. The Formacare team is keeping track of all these developments via the expert teams in Cefic. Furthermore, an assessment of the possible impact about formaldehyde will be performed by the end of the year. This will support our day-to-day engagement with regulators and decision-makers.

If you want to know more, continue to follow us on LinkedIn and register for this newsletter if not done already.

In the meantime, I wish you a very pleasant summer and a nice holiday!

Yours sincerely,

Lars Eric Johansson

Chairman Formacare

Executive Vice President Industrial Relations at OQ Chemicals

ADVOCACY UPDATES

Formacare issued its position on the ongoing REACH restriction on formaldehyde

After several years, the procedure for the restriction on formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers in articles may get to an end in 2022. The file is now being discussed among competent authorities for REACH. In this context, Formacare issued in May its position on the restriction.

Formacare contribution to EPA assessment consultation

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) delivered a draft assessment of formaldehyde, under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This draft assessment is at odds with the scientific and regulatory status quo on formaldehyde in the European Union and other parts of the world.

In coordination with industry partners from the ACC Formaldehyde Panel, Formacare submitted a scientific contribution to US authorities during a stakeholder consultation which concluded on June 13th.

Coordination and collaboration with the ACC Panel will continue in the coming months to address the shortcomings of the EPA draft assessment.

RAC issued its opinion on the re-classification of formaldehyde

At its meeting on June 1st, the experts in the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) approved the opinion for the harmonised classification of formaldehyde.

According to the published press release from ECHA, the RAC agreed to the proposal by Germany to modify the existing classifications to fatal if inhaled (Acute Tox. 2; H330, with an ATE=100 ppm (gases)), harmful if swallowed (Acute Tox. 4; H302, with an ATE=500 mg/kg bw) and may cause an allergic skin reaction (Skin Sens. 1A; H317). Contrary to the proposal by the dossier submitter, RAC did not agree to classify the substance as toxic in contact with skin (Acute Tox. 3; H311) or as a flammable gas (Flam. Gas 1B; H221).

Overall, Formacare intends to support the proposal from the RAC when it reaches the next stage of approval at the European Commission level, in 2023.

FORMACARE UPDATES

Formacare members met for the first time since Covid in Brussels

On May 18th, Formacare organised its first face-to-face General Assembly since the beginning of the Covid crisis.

Members were delighted to meet again and to discuss the most recent developments on formaldehyde and other topics of joint interest. Key advocacy decisions were made, to support the Secretariat in addressing ongoing priorities.

The next General Assembly is planned for November. Wish to learn more about Formacare or how you can become a member?

CASE STUDIES

The potential of formaldehyde in addressing anti-microbial resistance from the preventive use of antibiotics

Recent studies performed in the UK have shown the potential of formaldehyde when used in an innovative medicine to treat patients with chronic urinary tract infections. What role does formaldehyde play?

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