Consultation delays
Europe
Echa has asked interested parties looking to submit comments to ongoing consultations on REACH restriction dossiers, or on draft opinions of the Socio-economic Analysis Committee (Seac), to do so within the timeframes specified.
This will ensure that the deadlines for Echa committees to prepare their opinions are respected and comply with the legal deadlines for submitting these to the European Commission.
However, the agency says that if the Covid-19 pandemic is "adversely affecting" the ability to make comments, stakeholders should contact Echa and explain the situation. "We will assess your justifications and may accept comments submitted after the close of the consultation," it adds.
Derogations tracker or eased regulations
Indonesia
Companies seeking licences for household health supplies – including antiseptic hand sanitiser products – can expect a shorter turnaround time for getting government certification.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) is aiming to issue certificates for urgently needed supplies within one to two days.
Under a simplified application process, companies should submit:
- statutory payment of non-tax state revenue to the government;
- business identification number;
- an application letter;
- information on the responsible technical person; and
- a letter stating that any outstanding requirements will be fulfilled within six months.
All individual household health products should also have marketing authorisation. According to previous MoH guidance, alcohol-based sanitisers would fall under Class 2 as posing moderate risks to consumers.
The approval process for products in this class would previously be expected to take up to 80 calendar days. But MoH is now operating a one-day service for essential products.
The Netherlands
The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has granted a derogation from the EU biocidal products Regulation’s (BPR) authorisation requirements for the use of the preservative Biobor JF in aircraft fuel.
Several other European member states have already done so, because of the Covid-19 pandemic reducing global air traffic. This has left aircraft unused for long periods of time, which increases the risk of oil-degrading microorganisms contaminating the fuel tank.
The exemption is valid until 20 October.
US
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has called on the US EPA to stop states from shutting down medical sterilisation facilities using ethylene oxide (EtO) if they meet the agency’s emissions standards. It is dangerous to shut down these "critical operations" without justification, said the group, which advocates for limited government.
"EtO has been safely used for decades, and the tiny traces released from medical plant sterilisation were understood to be inconsequential to human health," the CEI said. It also called on the EPA to scrap its previous risk assessment for EtO conducted under the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) and "produce a more balanced reevaluation", among other recommendations.