On 17 July 2023, the EU published in its Official Journal Regulation (EU) 2023/1464 amending the restrictions section of the REACH Regulation (Annex XVII), adding a new entry 77 restricting formaldehyde and formaldehyde release. The entry enters into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal.

Content of the new entry

Appendix 14

(1) Measurement of formaldehyde released into indoor air from articles referred to in Article 77(1), first indent

The formaldehyde released from articles referred to in Article 77(1), first indent, shall be measured in the air of a test chamber under the following cumulative reference conditions:

(a) the temperature in the test chamber shall be (23 +/- 0.5) degrees C;

(b) the relative humidity in the test chamber shall be (45 +/- 3)%;

(c) the loading factor, expressed as the ratio of the total surface area of the test specimen to the chamber volume, shall be (1 +/- 0.02) m2/m3. This loading factor applies to the testing of wood-based panels; for other materials or products, if this loading factor is clearly unrealistic under foreseeable conditions of use, the loading factor in accordance with EN 16516 clause 4.2.2 may be used;

(d) the air exchange rate in the test chamber shall be (1 +/- 0.05) h-1;

(e) an appropriate analytical procedure shall be used to measure the formaldehyde concentration in the test chamber;

(f) an appropriate sampling method shall be used for the test specimens;

(g) throughout the test period the formaldehyde concentration in the chamber air shall be measured at least twice a day, with at least 3 hours between two consecutive samplings; measurements shall be repeated until sufficient data are available to determine the steady-state concentration;

(h) the test duration shall be long enough to determine the steady-state concentration but shall not exceed 28 days;

(i) the steady-state formaldehyde concentration measured in the chamber shall be used to verify compliance with the formaldehyde emission limit for articles referred to in Article 77(1), first indent.

Where data obtained using a test method under the above reference conditions are not available or not suitable for measuring the formaldehyde release of a specific article, data obtained using a test method under non-reference conditions may be used, provided there is a scientifically valid correlation between the results of the method used and the reference conditions.

(2) Measurement of formaldehyde concentration in the interior of vehicles referred to in Article 77(2), first indent

For road vehicles, including trucks and buses, the formaldehyde concentration shall be measured in ambient mode under the conditions specified in ISO 12219-1 or ISO 12219-10, and the measured concentration shall be used to verify compliance with the limit referred to in Article 77(2), first indent.

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a colourless, odourless, irritating gas that is soluble in water. It is a commonly used chemical raw material with a wide range of uses: it is typically used as a chemical intermediate in the production of formaldehyde resins, thermoplastics or other chemicals, and is used to make a wide variety of articles such as furniture, flooring, wallpaper, foams, automobiles, textiles and leather goods.

On 27 October 2017, the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization placed formaldehyde in the list of Group 1 carcinogens. On 23 July 2019, formaldehyde was added to the list of toxic and harmful water pollutants.

NTEK capabilities

Automotive services of the NTEK central laboratory:

★ Material testing

Whole-vehicle air and material VOC, odour testing, fogging testing, material performance testing, failure analysis, material composition identification and morphology observation, crystal structure analysis

★ Hazardous substance testing for vehicles and components

ELV testing, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, battery directive testing, REACH and SVHC testing, POPs regulation testing

Other items: azo dyes, formaldehyde, perfluorinated compound analysis, organotin compounds, asbestos, halogens, dimethyl fumarate

★ Chemical management services

IMDS and CAMDS declaration agency services and training for automotive components, training on global environmental regulation compliance for automotive components, 3R calculation and recycling services and training