The European Commission (EC) Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Committee voted on April 26, 2018, to amend several REACH Annexes to clarify the registration requirements for nanomaterials.  According to the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) press release, the amendments address the knowledge gap regarding which substances registered under REACH are placed on the market as nanomaterials and in what quantities.  ECHA states that the amendments will allow both companies and authorities to know more about the characteristics of nanomaterials, how they are used, how they are handled safely, what risks they potentially pose to health and the environment, and how these risks are controlled.  The draft regulation is now subject to scrutiny by the European Parliament and Council for a period of three months before being adopted by the EC.  ECHA states that it will begin to assess the need to update existing guidance or issue new guidance to support registrants in complying with the new requirements.  As soon as the amendments are formally adopted, ECHA encourages registrants of nanoform substances to familiarize themselves with the amendments and assess what actions they need to take to comply.  The EC held a public consultation in 2017 on a draft regulation that would amend the Annexes.  More information on the draft regulation and public consultation is available in our blog items, “EC Proposes to Amend REACH Annexes to Address Nanomaterials” and “EC Posts Comments Received on Draft Regulation to Amend REACH Annexes to Address Nanomaterials.”