The European Chemicals Agency Risk Assessment Committee (RAC)

The ECHA, based in Helsinki, is responsible for implementing all EU chemicals legislation for the benefit of human health and the environment and are also responsible for fostering innovation and competitiveness in the chemical industry.  ECHA helps companies to comply with the legislation, advances the safe use of chemicals, provides information on chemicals and addresses chemicals of concern.   A significant amount of ECHAs’ work is achieved through expert committees drawn from agencies, institutes, universities and governmental regulatory authorities throughout Europe.  One such committee is the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC), an important working committee consisting of mammalian toxicologists, environmental toxicologists, chemists and health experts. 

The three primary responsibilities of the RAC are to evaluate: 1) proposals for harmonised classification and labelling of dangerous substances with respect to human health and environmental protection, 2) proposals to restrict manufacture, marketing and usage, based on concerns about human health or the environment, 3) applications from industry/concerned parties for authorisation to use or to continue to use (under restricted conditions) certain substances of very high concern (SVHC) for human health or the environment.

The Health and Safety Authority is the main competent authority for the CLP regulation and has invited expert toxicologists from PRD to become members of the RAC.  The PRD expert specialises in issues relating to classification and labelling of pesticides with regard to human health and environmental protection.