At the beginning of the year, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced that it is taking on new responsibilities under the EU’s One Substance, One Assessment (OSOA) package. Working closely with other EU agencies and authorities, ECHA will lead efforts to build a common data platform on chemicals, streamline assessments, and strengthen collaboration.  

ECHA’s Executive Director Sharon McGuinness explained, "The OSOA package represents a significant step towards a more efficient chemical safety system in Europe. By joining forces with our partner agencies and authorities, we will create a system that anticipates risks, and brings together existing knowledge, and supports innovation.  

“Our shared goal is clear: a safer, more sustainable Europe through collaboration and science-based action.’’

The OSOA package includes a regulation on a common data platform and monitoring and outlook framework for chemicals. ECHA will manage this platform in close collaboration with other EU bodies – including the European Environment Agency (EEA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) under the governance scheme and implementation plan adopted by the European Commission.

The platform will integrate information from multiple sources and provide services such as an information platform for chemical monitoring, a repository of reference values, and a study notifications database. Additionally, it will include databases on standard formats and controlled vocabularies, regulatory processes, legal obligations, chemicals in articles or products, alternatives to substances of concern, and environmental sustainability-related data. This action will create a one-stop-shop for chemicals data, which will improve transparency and accessibility for regulators, industry, and the public.

Beyond the data platform, ECHA will also develop a monitoring and outlook framework, support early warning and risk identification, and generate new data when needed. It will also promote the use of scientific research to strengthen chemical safety and take on scientific and regulatory responsibilities previously managed by other bodies. These include: preparing restriction proposals under the RoHS Directive (hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment), and processing exemption requests; setting and reviewing limit values for persistent organic pollutants in waste under the POPs Regulation; and updating guidelines on how to perform the benefit-risk assessment of the presence of certain hazardous substances in medical devices under the Medical Devices Regulation.

Learn more by visiting https://echa.europa.eu.