[1] The SIN List is composed of chemicals evaluated by the environmental NGO ChemSec as meeting EU criteria for being Substances of Very High Concern (SVHCs) under Article 57 of REACH, being either carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic (CMR), persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT), very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB), or posing an equivalent environmental or health threat.,[1][2] The first SIN List, known as version 1.0, was published in 2008 and identified 267 chemicals as meeting the Article 57 criteria for being SVHCs.
The 2011 EDC additions were made in consultation with TEDX, the US endocrine-disruption research NGO founded by Professor Theo Colborn, and coincided with EU plans over 2011–2012 to develop accepted criteria for identifying endocrine disrupting chemicals.
Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, stated that she welcomed initiatives such as the SIN List “[which] draw the attention of the public and industry to the most hazardous chemicals that should be a priority for inclusion in the REACH authorisation procedure”.
[13] Sony Ericsson, Sara Lee, Skanska,[14] Marks & Spencer,[15] Dell[16] and Carrefour[17] are on record as referring to the SIN List in their chemical substitution programmes.
[20] ChemSec has together with ClientEarth requested information about producers of REACH registered substances to be made publicly available, and launched a lawsuit against the European Chemicals Agency on this issue in 2011.