EUROPE – COM: Update of the draft list of co-formulants banned in PPP

Published by Chloé Trinchese at 15 May 2020

Following the public consultation of 16 January 2020 on the draft Regulation implementing the list of co-formulants that shall not be used in plant protection products or adjuvants (Annex III of Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009), new versions of the draft Regulation and its Annex have been released for the SCoPAFF (Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed) of 18 and 19 May 2020.

The only major change in the draft Regulation concerns item (14) in which the acceptable limit of unauthorised co-formulants in PPPs and adjuvants has been increased from 0.01 % to 0.1 % (w/w).

In the updated version of the Annex, major changes are:

Grouping of nonylphenols and addition of isononylphenol (CAS No. 11066-49-2);
Grouping of nonylphenols, ethoxylated and adjustments of CAS and EC numbers;
Addition of the octylphenol group including 34 compounds;
Grouping of octylphenols, ethoxylated;
Removal of several mineral compounds: kaolin (aluminium silicate), quartz sand, kieselguhr (silicium dioxide), cristobalite (SiO2), trydimite (SiO2) and attapulgite (palaygorskite).

The table below details the changes that have been noted in comparison to the January 2020 version:

Previous version of Draft Annex (January 2020)	New version of Draft Annex (May 2020)
Footnote 1 : 0.01 % (w/w)	Replaced by 0.1 % (w/w)
Line 4. : EC No. 203-458-1 [2-ethoxyethanol]	Replaced by EC No. 203-804-1 (Line 3.)
Line 24. : Aluminium silicate (Kaolin)	Removal of co-formulant
Line 25. : EC No. 500-153-8 [POE-tallowamine]	EC No. deleted (Line 11.)
Line 26. : EC No. 614-378-5 [POEP-tallowamine]	EC No. deleted (Line 12.)
Lines 27 to 32 : Column 2 “Name”	Fusion of 6 lines in “Asbestos fibres” (Lines 13 to 18)
Line 27. : EC No. 616-471-6 [Actinolite asbestos]	EC No. deleted (Line 13.)
Line 28. : EC No. 601-801-3 [Amiosite asbestos]	EC No. deleted (Line 14.)
Line 30. : CAS No. 132207-32-0- [Chrysotile asbestos]	CAS No. deleted (Line 16.)
Line 33. : Attapulgite (Palaygorskite)	Removal of co-formulant
Line 35. : Carcinogenic cat.1B [benzo[def]chrysene]	Replaced by Carcinogenic cat.1B / Mutagenic cat.1B / Toxic to reproduction cat.1B (Line 20.)
Line 36. : CAS No. 10043-35-3 and EC No. 233-139-2 [Boric acid]	Replaced by CAS No. 10043-35-3; 11113-50-1 and EC No. 233-139-2; 234-343-4 (Line 22.)
Line 39. : Cristobalite (SiO₂)	Removal of co-formulant
Line 54. : Carcinogenic cat.1B [Ethylene oxide]	Replaced by Carcinogenic cat.1B / Mutagenic cat.1B (Line 41.)
Line 68. : Reproductive toxicity cat.1B / Carcinogenic cat.2 [Nitrobenzene]	Replaced by Toxic to reproduction cat.1B (Line 54.)
Line 82. : CAS No. 7311-27-5 [Orthoboric acid, sodium salt]	Replaced by CAS No. 13840-56-7 (Line 28.)
Line 86. : Quartz sand	Removal of co-formulant
Line 87. : Silicium dioxide (Kieselguhr)	Removal of co-formulant
Line 90. : Trydimite (SiO₂)	Removal of co-formulant
Lines 71 to 80 : Column 2 “Name”	Fusion of 10 lines in “Nonyl-phenols: Substances with a linear and/or branched alkyl chain with a carbon number of 9 covalently bound in any position to phenol, covering also substances, which include any of the individual isomers or a combination thereof.” (Lines 56 to 60 and 62 to 66) + addition of Line 61. : Isononylphenol
Lines 11 to 20, Line 23, Line 70 : Column 2 “Name”	Fusion of 12 lines in “Nonyl-phenols, ethoxylated: Substances with a linear and/or branched alkyl chain with a carbon number of 9 covalently bound in any position to phenol, ethoxylated, covering also substances, which include any of the individual isomers or a combination thereof.” (Lines 67, 70 to 72 and 74 to 81) + addition of Line 68. : 4-Nonylphenol, branched, 1-2.5 moles ethoxylated, Line 69. : 4-Nonylphenol, 1 – 2.5 moles ethoxylated and Line 73. : Ethanol,2-[2-[2-[2-(4-Nonylphenoxy) ethoxy] ethoxy] ethoxy]
Lines 21 and 81 : Column 2 “Name”	Fusion of 2 lines in “Octyl-phenols, ethoxylated: Substances with a linear and/or branched alkyl chain with a carbon number of 8 covalently bound in any position to phenol, ethoxylated, covering also substances, which include any of the individual isomers or a combination thereof.” (Lines 116 and 117)
/	Addition of 34 lines in familly “Octyl-phenols: Substances with a linear and/or branched alkyl chain with a carbon number of 8 covalently bound in any position to phenol, covering also substances, which include any of the individual isomers or a combination thereof.” (Lines 82 to 115)