Glossary
  • ABS - acrylonitrile butadiene styrene - is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products such as piping, automotive body parts, wheel covers, enclosures, protective head gear, and toys.
  • Annex XIV - List of substances subjected to the "authorisation" procedure in REACH.
  • Authorisation (REACH proceedings): for articles with substances of very high concern (SVHC) such as CMR 1&2, PBT, vPvB, or endocrine disrupters that are in concentration > 0.1% (weight/weight) in a homogeneous material and without any threshold of tonnage.
  • BFR – Brominated Flame Retardants
  • CA – Competent Authorities
  • Candidate list - A list of all substances of very high concern, whose properties make them eligible to go through the REACH Authorisation procedure. The first version due to be published in autumn 2009, with priorities to be established for which substances will be first be processed through authorisation.
  • Chemical compound - A substance consisting of two or more chemical elements that are chemically combined in fixed proportions.
  • Chemical element - A substance that cannot be divided or changed into different substances by ordinary chemical methods.
  • Concentration - A very common concept used in chemistry and related fields. It is the measure of how much of a given substance there is mixed with another substance. This can apply to any sort of chemical mixture but most frequently is used in relation to solutions, where it refers to the amount of solute dissolved in a solvent.
  • Deca-BDE - Decabromodiphenyl Ether.
  • ESR - Existing Substances Regulation EC793/93.
  • HBCD - Hexabromocyclododecane, CAS N° 25637-99-4 & CAS N°3194-55-6.
  • PBDE - Polybrominated diphenyl ethers.
  • PBT - Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic.
  • PCB – Printed circuit boards
  • RA – Risk Assessment
  • RoHS - Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances in electrical and electronic equipment.
  • RRS – Risk Reduction Strategy.
  • SCHER - Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks - the SCHER is an independent committee of scientific experts of the EU specialised in examining the toxicity and ecotoxicity of chemicals, biochemicals and biological compounds. It is consulted in the process of an EU Risk Assessment.
  • SVHC - "Substances of Very High Concern", which are required to be authorized under REACH. These are substances which fall into one of these categories:
    • Carcinogens (cause cancer), mutagens (cause gene mutations), or toxic to reproduction (CMR category 1 and 2);
    • Persistent (degrade slowly or do not break down at all), Bio-accumulative (accumulate in human bodies and the environment) and Toxic (PBT);
    • Very Persistent and very Bio-accumulative (vPvB);
    • Identified from scientific evidence as causing probable serious effects to humans or the environment equivalent to those above on a case by case basis, for instance substances that interfere with the hormone system.
  • vPvB - Substances that are very Persistent and very Bioaccumulative.
  • TBBPA – Tetrabromobisphenol-A
  • VECAP – Voluntary Emissions Control Action Programme