Poison Centres

Have you categorised your hazardous mixtures?

If you are an importer or a downstream user of hazardous mixtures, it is time to get familiar with the European product categorisation system (EuPCS) and categorise your mixtures.   

Helsinki, 11 December 2018 – If you are an importer or a downstream user of mixtures classified for human health or physical effects, you will need to submit information on those mixtures to appointed bodies in the Member State where you place them on the market, including the category in the EuPCS they belong to.

A good place to start your preparations is mapping your products and finding the right category for each one. A hazardous mixture must be assigned a product category that describes its main intended use – the EuPCS, developed by ECHA for this purpose, contains approximately 250 such product categories. Examples of intended uses are fertilisers, laundry detergents and air care products.

To ensure that the EuPCS reflects all users’ needs, you can request changes to the system using the updated ECHA contact form. Any changes should reflect a real need and be supported by the relevant sector.

• Before you request a change, make sure that your relevant industry or sector association has been consulted.
• We highly recommend that discussion on the request take place at trade association level to ensure that the change is founded on support from the whole sector.
• All requests will need to be accompanied by a written justification. Make sure you include how the sector’s support was ensured.

 Requests received by ECHA will be addressed through the following steps:

• An impact assessment describing the need for the change to the EuPCS and the effects on industry and appointed bodies and poison centres.
• A consultation with the EuPCS focus group, comprised of Member State appointed bodies, poison centres and industry associations involved in the development of the categorisation system.
• Sharing of the finalised changes with the competent authorities for REACH and CLP (CARACAL) to ensure the highest level of harmonisation. The changes will be implemented provided no objections are raised.