An inspection by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has found hundreds of consumer products containing chemicals that are restricted under REACH legislation. The investigation by ECHA's enforcement forum in 2016 discovered phthalates, cadmium and asbestos, all of which are highly restricted under REACH’s Annex XIV rule and prohibited without specific authorization.

The agency said that out of 5,625 product checks, 18% did not comply with the restrictions. The most frequent breaches were phthalates in toys, with 20% of those inspected containing bis(2-ethylhexyl) (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) at levels above those permitted.

In addition, cadmium was found in 14% of brazing fillers, and asbestos fibers were discovered in 14% of the products tested, including catalytic heaters, thermos flasks and brake pads.  However, the agency noted that the products containing asbestos were mostly second-hand and likely produced before the restrictions came into force.

Inspectors also found high concentrations of chromium VI in leather articles (13%), cadmium in jewelry (12%) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (8%) in (undisclosed) products.  In addition, there was an 88.5 % non-compliance rate in the 392 product checks for measuring devices, most of which contained mercury above the legal limit.

ECHA said the report highlighted companies’ responsibility to get information on the chemical composition of their products from suppliers. The authority said it will continue to enforce REACH restrictions by analyzing further products on the market.