ECHA launches a six-month public consultation on the proposed restriction of chromium VI in leather

The Danish authorities submitted a report proposing a restriction on the placing on the

market of leather articles containing chromium VI in concentrations above a certain limit

that come into direct and prolonged or repetitive contact with the skin. Chromium VI is

known to cause severe allergic contact dermatitis in humans and is able to elicit dermatitis

at very low concentrations. In particular, the risk assessment demonstrates that chromium VI

present in shoes and other leather articles may cause contact allergies.
      Chromium VI is not intentionally used in the preparation of leather from skins and hides and

in the manufacturing of articles of leather, but may be formed during the processing by

oxidation of chromium III used for the tanning of the leather. According to industry,

measures for preventing the formation of chromium VI in leather are implemented in tanneries

all across the European Union. Furthermore, many importers of leather articles require that

they do not contain chromium VI in measureable concentrations. Nevertheless, surveys have

demonstrated that more than 30% of the tested leather articles contain chromium VI in

concentrations above 3 mg/kg, which is the concentration limit proposed by the Danish

authorities.
       Interested parties can comment on the restriction proposal and the associated report using

the webform on ECHA's website. Comments will be reviewed and taken into account by the ECHA

Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC). The final opinions

of the two committees on the proposed restriction will be finalised by March 2013. Based on

these opinions, the European Commission will take a decision on whether to introduce these

restrictions into the REACH Regulation.
       The Annex XV report contains the background and justifications for the proposed restriction.

It includes the identified risks, information on alternatives, the effectiveness of the

restriction in reducing the risks and the costs of the restriction.

Although the six month public consultation concludes on 16 September 2012, the rapporteurs

of RAC and SEAC would welcome any comments by 1 June 2012 to assist them in the first

discussion of the restriction proposal in committee meetings of June 2012.