Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/589 of 18 April 2018 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards methanol (Text with EEA relevance. )

• Coming into Force: 09 May 2018
• End of Effective Date: 31 December 9999
• Published date: 19 April 2018
• Celex Number: 32018R0589
• ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/589/oj
• Date: 18 April 2018
• Date of Signature: 18 April 2018
• Official Gazette Publication: Official Journal of the European Union, L 99, 19 April 2018

19.4.2018 EN Official Journal of the European Union L 99/7

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COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2018/589

of 18 April 2018

amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards methanol

(Text with EEA relevance)

THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,

Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC (1), and in particular Article 68(1) thereof,

Whereas:

(1) On 16 January 2015, Poland submitted to the European Chemicals Agency (‘the Agency’) a dossier (2) pursuant to Article 69(4) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (‘the Annex XV dossier’), in order to initiate the restriction procedure set out in Articles 69 to 73 of that Regulation. The Annex XV dossier indicated that exposure to methanol in windscreen washing fluid and denatured alcohol poses a risk to human health and proposed to prohibit their placing on the market. The Annex XV dossier demonstrated that action on a Union-wide basis is necessary.

(2) The restriction proposed in the Annex XV dossier aims to reduce the incidence of severe methanol poisoning following consumption by chronic alcoholics and sporadically by non-alcoholics of windscreen washing fluids or denatured alcohol used as a cheap substitute for consumable alcohol. The restriction is also expected to prevent methanol poisoning following accidental ingestion of windscreen washing fluids and denatured alcohol, including poisonings in children. The Annex XV dossier and the public consultation reported cases of poisoning caused by ingestion of windscreen washing fluids in seven Member States and fatal cases in at least two Member States.

(3) On 4 December 2015, the Agency's Committee for Risk Assessment (‘RAC’) adopted its opinion concluding that exposure to methanol present in windscreen washing fluids and in denatured

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