The Eu proposed restriction requirements for bisphenol A and bisphenol substance

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has launched a public consultation on a proposed restriction on bisphenol A and bisphenol substances and their derivatives until 22 June 2023. According to the procedure, if approved, this restriction may be in the form of restriction requirements in Appendix XVII of REACH.

The proposed restrictions on bisphenol A and bisphenol are as follows:

•bisphenol A (BPA) [ CAS  80-05-7  EC 201-245-8 ]

•bisphenol B (BPB)  [ CAS 77-40-7    EC 201-025-1 ]

•bisphenol S (BPS)  [ CAS  08-09-1   EC 201-250-5 ]

•bisphenol F (BPF)  [ CAS 620-92-8   EC 210-658-2 ]

•bisphenol AF(BPAF)  [ CAS 1478-61-1    EC 216- 036-7 ]

The draft proposes the following control requirements:

1.Restricting the placing on the market of mixtures and articles where concentration is equal to or greater than 10 ppm (0.001 % by weight).

2.The first condition shall not apply to mixtures and articles where the bisphenols in the scope of the restriction are either covalently bound to any type of matrix (e.g. via functioning as a cross-linker) or are used as intermediates in the manufacture of polymers, and for which

i.contact to aqueous media in any form can be excluded during their reasonable and foreseeable use throughout their service life or

ii.the migration limit in the respective mixtures and articles does not exceed 0.04 mg/L over the entire service life.

In addition, the draft proposes that the following products should be exempted:

•For Recycling of paper, concentration limit 150 ppm for 78 months

•For Fluoroelastomers, concentration limit 50 ppm for 10 years

•For Polycarbonates (PC) and polycarbonatebased mixtures, concentration limit 150 ppm

•For Epoxy resins, concentration limit 65 ppm for the placing on the market of articles manufactured with solid and semisolid epoxy resins. concentration limit of 1 ppm for epoxy resin mixtures intended for consumer uses

•For Leather articles and mixtures used for the tanning of leather, concentration limit 500 ppm for 5 years.

Bisphenol substances are mainly used in the production of polycarbonate, epoxy resin, polysulfone resin, polyphenyl ether resin, unsaturated polyester resin and other polymer materials. Polycarbonate is often used to make plastic lunch boxes, plastic water cups, baby bottles and other drink and food containers. Bisphenols are also used in the production of heat-sensitive paper, inks and coatings, adhesives, textiles, paper or board.

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It is the general trend of the EU to strengthen the regulation of bisphenol substances. CTT reminds relevant manufacturers and traders to continue to pay attention to the current regulations, make preparations in advance, and strengthen raw materials and factory inspection control to ensure that products meet the requirements of the regulations. For more details, please contact us.