Key Updates from the September 2025 RAC and SEAC Meetings

RAC and SEAC Meetings. In September 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) held important meetings of the Committees for Risk Assessment (RAC) and Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC), focusing on several critical regulatory areas.

PFAS Restriction Proposal

The evaluation of the proposed EU-wide restriction on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) continues to be a top priority. Both committees discussed various aspects of the proposal, including hazard assessment, concentration limits, and environmental risk management.

Sectors addressed so far:

• Energy systems (SEAC – provisional conclusions)

• Lubricants (SEAC – provisional conclusions)

• Electronics (RAC – provisional conclusions)

• Semiconductors (RAC – provisional conclusions)

• PFAS manufacturing (Initial discussions by both RAC and SEAC)

• Horizontal issues such as:

  • Threshold limits

  • Emission monitoring

  • Risk management measures

Upcoming plans:

• December 2025:

  • Electronics and semiconductors (SEAC)

  • PFAS manufacturing (RAC & SEAC)

  • Horizontal issues (RAC & SEAC)

• March 2026:

  • Final adoption of RAC’s opinion

  • Agreement on SEAC’s draft opinion

  • Launch of 60-day public consultation

SEAC’s final opinion is expected by the end of 2026.

New Restriction Proposal: Octocrilene

• Proposed by France

• Officially meets REACH Annex XV requirements

• Public consultation open until 24 March 2026

Occupational Exposure Limits

RAC adopted an opinion on N-(hydroxymethyl)acrylamide (NMA), including:

• Exposure-risk relationship (ERR) for cancer risk

• 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) limit to prevent:

  • Neurotoxic effects

  • Reproductive harm

Applications for Authorisation

• RAC: 7 draft opinions

• SEAC: 9 draft opinions

• Both committees adopted 14 final opinions on uses of:

  • Chromium trioxide

  • Chromic acid

• Included opinions on major upstream use: CTAC Sub2

Harmonised Classification and Labelling

• RAC adopted 8 opinions on classification and labelling proposals

• Summaries available in the annex to the official release (you can find the document at the end of this article)

These updates reflect continued progress in EU chemical safety regulations, with PFAS, workplace exposure, and industrial authorisation remaining high on the regulatory agenda.

Do you need more info about these topics? Contact us and follow Nordiik on LinkedIn!

Source: ECHA

Download RAC&SEAC Annex to news here: news_annex_rac_seac_sept_2025_en