ECHA probes safety of cobalt salts used in pharma

Published: 18-Mar-2013
Ingredients Regulatory

EC will use findings to decide whether ECHA should draft use restrictions


The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is to investigate the safety of five cobalt salts that can be used in culture media to make pharmaceuticals and within biotechnology. It has been asked by the European Commission (EC) to look at cobalt sulphate, cobalt dichloride, cobalt dinitrate, cobalt carbonate and cobalt diacetate, focusing especially on whether workers handling them during manufacturing might receive harmful effects.

The ECHA said its findings would be used by the EC to decide whether the ECHA should draft use restrictions ‘if there are indications of a risk to human health which is not adequately controlled’. Indeed, they could end up on the European Union (EU) REACH chemical control system’s authorisation list, which requires all companies wanting to use a listed chemical to ask special permission of the ECHA.

The ECHA has contacted pharma companies and associations requesting information and has staged a webinar to explain the procedure and the data sought for its investigation.

  • Companies:
  • ECHA European Chemicals Agency
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