Commercial Information Circulars

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/6/14

4 June 2008

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 309/2008

European Union (EU) * : Testing Methods Pursuant to REACH

The European Commission (the Commission) has recently adopted a Regulation on the testing methods pursuant to REACH. Details are set out in Commission Regulation (EC) No. 440/2008 (the Regulation). The Regulation can be accessed through the following link :
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:142:0001:0739:EN:PDF

DETAILS

2. The Regulation lays down the testing methods adopted at Community level for the purposes of tests on substances where such tests are required to generate information on intrinsic properties of substances (i.e. physico-chemical properties, toxicity and ecotoxicity of substances) for registration purposes pursuant to REACH. Nevertheless, this Regulation does not exclude the use of other testing methods, provided that their use is in accordance with Article 13(3) of REACH Regulation 1907/2006. Details of the testing methods are set out in the Annex to the Regulation. 
    
3. The Commission shall review, where appropriate, the testing methods contained in this Regulation with a view to replacing, reducing or refining testing on vertebrate animals.

ENQUIRIES

4. For enquiries concerning the contents of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Cyrus NG)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.