The Commission of the European Union (EU) has implemented further restrictions on the use of materials containing chromium VI under its regulations related to the registration, evaluation, authorization and restriction of chemicals (REACH).
Published in the Official Journal of the European Union in March 2014, Commission Regulation No. 301/2014 sets limits on the concentrations of chromium VI used in leather articles and articles containing leather that come into contact with the human skin. The new restriction becomes effective as of May 1, 2015.
The new restriction comes as a result of a scientific dossier submitted to the Commission by Denmark authorities that demonstrates that exposure to chromium VI contained in leather articles of leather parts of articles can pose a risk to human health when the materials come in contact with human skin. Specifically, the dossier indicates that such exposure can induce new cases of sensitization and elicit allergic reactions in humans.
Read the complete text of Commission Regulation 301/2014 on chromium VI.
