The reporter learned from Haicang inspection and Quarantine Bureau of Xiamen that the EU Member States Committee (MSC) agreed to list bisphenol A, PFDA, PTAP and 4-HPbl as four substances highly concerned (SVHC). The European Chemicals authority (ECHA) will include the four substances mentioned above in the authorized list in January 2017.

The so-called high attention substance is a chemical substance which is highly toxic to the environment and human body. The four new substances have reproductive toxicity, bioaccumulation and environmental endocrine disruptions, and are used to produce organic materials or intermediates. In particular, bisphenol A is often used for making plastic (milk) bottles, sucking cups for infants, food and beverages (milk powder) side coating.

Inspection and quarantine department staff said that the EU's strict control over highly concerned substances is bound to increase the export costs of toys, baby products, clothing and other industries. Therefore, in the face of the increasingly demanding material notification requirements, relevant enterprises should step up their response. The proposal has confirmed that the products concerned with high attention substances or high export related substances may be exported: first, we should compare the EU's high priority list of substances, understand the characteristics of the products exported to EU, detect the substance content, and exclude the possibility that the substances used may be defined as the substances of high concern; two, we should increase investment in science and technology, upgrade or update equipment, improve the technological process and processing methods, and develop new non-toxic, harmless, recyclable and degradable organic materials.

(source: CNN)