By Marialuisa Visconti
Premise
This is the first in a series of four articles designed to illustrate the advantages of using a software tool like EPY for the notification of hazardous mixtures instead of manually entering them via the IUCLID online service available on the ECHA portal.
Why present these insights after the latest notification deadline?
The goal is to help those who are still unprepared to meet this requirement make the best choice, or those wondering if relying on a consultant to handle the process on their behalf is sustainable in the long run.
The series will cover the following topics:
- Mass updates and Default values
- MIM List and Referenced substances
- Automatic dossier submission and destination Country information
- Automatic updates to the PCN dossier
Let’s dive into the first topic.
Mass updates and Default values
As with many tasks, it’s the initial setup of a new procedure that requires the most effort; but once established, things become much easier.
Those familiar with PCN notification know that creating a dossier requires to provide various details about the mixture being notified. These details may vary across individual mixtures, and assigning them one by one can be time-consuming. This is precisely why the EPY module includes features designed to streamline the initial steps.
Here are the key features:
- Mass updates of necessary information for notification dossiers:
Final uses, product categories according to the EUPCS list, packaging, destination markets, colors, physical forms, reasons for missing pH data, and more can be defined in one go for a group of products.
- Importing data lists needed for notification completion:
Supplier lists with complete addresses, lists of final uses for groups of mixtures, lists of semi-finished products with 100% known compositions, lists of products not intended for notification (e.g., exclusively sold outside the EU), lists of UFIs already used for mixtures along with related PCN notification codes (retrieved from the Poison Center portal).
Additionally, the notification module facilitates dossier completion by enabling a fixed correlation between the information in SDSs (Safety Data Sheets) and the data required for notification dossiers, particularly for:
- Colors: Each description in the SDS can be linked to one or more colors from the 15 options defined by ECHA.
- Physical forms: Similarly, entries can be selected from approximately 30 options available in the PCN format.
By leveraging these features, users are already well-prepared to create dossiers for mixtures with existing SDSs.
Of course, UFI codes are generated directly by the module, requiring no additional action from the user. Users can review the dossiers and, in this initial phase, send them to ECHA with a single click of the “Send Now” button or via automatic submission.
Streamlining regular operations
Once the system is running smoothly, users can minimize the amount of data entry by defining default values wherever possible. These predefined settings can be automatically applied to new products as they are created.
This feature is available for all information needed to complete notification dossiers. It also allows users to decide whether to differentiate UFI codes for potential commercial variants of the same formula.
Upcoming Sessions
Sign up for our next webinar on the PCN Notification and learn how to create accurate dossiers with our module!
