Dear Members, please see the update below from MedTech Europe on the CMR classification of Ethanol, and the current review under the EU Biocides legislation. Note that the final decision will also impact Northern Ireland. This could impact both the availability of ethanol-based hand disinfectants and the use of ethanol-based disinfectants more widely, although one option will be for the committee to restrict uses to professional uses only.
We would like to follow up on the previous communications regarding the joint statement on the proposed CMR classification of Ethanol under the Biocidal Products Regulation, which MedTech Europe co-signed.
The joint statement was published yesterday on the A.I.S.E. website. You can find the final statement here.
A total of 842 industry leaders, including MedTech Europe, health practitioners and academics – representing over 20 sectors from healthcare to food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, transport, agriculture, cosmetics, energy and hospitality – cosigned the statement calling on the European Union and Member States authorities to act now to prevent a reclassification of ethanol in biocidal products.
Next steps:
A final vote in the Biocidal Products Committee is scheduled for 26 November. Following this, the ECHA opinion will be forwarded to the European Commission, which will take the final decision on the approval of ethanol for use in biocidal products. We will continue to closely monitor this file and keep members informed of any further developments.
