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September 28, 2017

ECHA Announces RAC Concludes on Opinion for Harmonized Classification and Labeling for Titanium Dioxide

Lynn L. BergesonCarla N. Hutton

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) announced on September 27, 2017, that the Committee for Risk Assessment (RAC) concluded on ten opinions for harmonized classification and labeling (CLH), including titanium dioxide.  In May 2016, France submitted a CLH proposal for titanium dioxide, stating that titanium dioxide should be considered as being potentially carcinogenic to humans when inhaled and thus be classified as category 1B-H350i.  France proposed that the classification apply to both fine particles and nanomaterials of titanium dioxide “without being able of any distinction in terms of morphology, crystal phase, and surface treatment.”  As reported in our June 12, 2017, blog item, during RAC-41, held May 29-June 2 and June 8-9, 2017, RAC “concluded that the available scientific evidence meets the criteria in the [Classification, Labeling and Packaging (CLP)] Regulation to classify titanium dioxide as a substance suspected of causing cancer through the inhalation route.”  The annex to ECHA’s press release states that RAC adopted the final opinion in written procedure before RAC-42, held September 18-22, 2017.  RAC did not agree to the proposal to classify titanium dioxide as category 1B, presumed to have carcinogenic potential for humans, but “agreed to classify titanium dioxide in category 2 as a suspected human carcinogen Carc. 2; H350 (inhalation), i.e. not by the oral or dermal routes.”  ECHA states that the opinion will be available on RAC’s web page “in the near future.”