EU to restrict Cr VI in leather articles

2013 March, ECHA Committee for Socio-economic Analysis (SEAC) supported the Danish proposal to restrict chromium (VI) in leather articles in its 18th meeting, and still confirmed that the proposed restriction would be the most appropriate EU-wide measure to control chromium VI risk in leather article. The coming restriction is expected to come into enforce in the first season of 2015.

In accordance with REACH regulation, the proposal for chromium VI were through a 60-day public consultation, and SEAC found it is not necessary to review its draft opinion drew before. But they will add a transitional period of 12 months and derogation for second hand market products and stocks to the draft opinion.

The proposal restriction is submitted by Danish authority last year to restrict chromium VI in leather article intending to come into direct contact and prolonged or repetitive with skin. In the their report, more than 30% of the tested leather articles contained chromium VI in concentrations above 3ppm proposed by Danish authority.

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.