Argentina REACH

In 2018, a memorandum of understanding and cooperation for the management of chemicals was signed between Argentina and Brazil. Among its objectives, the memorandum aimed to exchange information (including the Brazilian study on chemical management) and to strengthen collaboration in the design of policies, regulations, and regulatory instruments for the management of chemical substances.

The National Law for the Management of the Risk of Chemical Substances was published in June 2019 with the purpose to create a harmonized inventory at the national level of all chemical substances produced or introduced in the territory and to strengthen the mechanisms for evaluating and managing their risk. The system is similar to the one proposed in Brazil: it will be implemented in phases; the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is the main agency in charge; chemicals will be evaluated by a special committee that will create a hazardous chemical list (and will be prioritized for risk management); a 3 years adaptation time; and manufacturers’ and importers’ mandatory annual updates to the system will follow.

The local government issued Resolution 192/2019, which created a national list of existing, restricted, and prohibited chemical substances, and is continuously being populated. Moreover, Decree 504/2019 was closely published, implementing an interministerial group responsible for coordinating different governmental areas to guarantee national management of chemical substances, fulfilling the national and international commitments assumed.

The draft law of national chemical legislation was presented to public discussion in September 2019, right before the country’s election in October. In the end, the change in government affected further progress and the draft was withdrawn by Argentina’s executive power. Meanwhile, an improved version is ready to be published, but not to be presented to Congress since the new election is scheduled for October 2021.