German Environment agency nominates rubber softeners for restriction

ERJ staff report (DS)

Berlin -- Germany's environmental agency, the Umwelt Bundesamt (UBA) has nominated a group of anthracene chemicals widely used in the rubber industry for restriction under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals) legislation.

Anthracene-based oils are used as softening agents in the rubber industry and are classed as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). New legislation will ban many of these oils from use in the tyre industry from the end of this year, but the UBA now wants to the oils to be subject to legal restrictions throughout the EU region.

The UBA nominated anthracene in the first round of nominations last year, but it was not included on the final list of substances of very high concern

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Press release from UBA (German language)

Press release from UBA - auto-translated into English language