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EU’s new harmonised classification for cobalt The Cobalt Institute, a non-profit trade association composed of producers, users, recyclers, and traders of cobalt based in Guildford, Surrey, UK, has reported the EU’s updated harmonised classification rules for cobalt metal, including a temporary Generic Concentration Limit (GCL) of ≥ 0.1 %. The new rules entered into force on March 9, 2020, and will apply from October 1, 2021. The cobalt industry is reportedly working with its downstream users to ensure an effective implementation of the new harmonised classification. The Cobalt Institute believes that EU regulation should focus on the established hazard concerns linked to the inhalation of cobalt metal. However, despite existing data reportedly indicating the safety of dermal and oral exposure to cobalt metal, the new harmonised classification is not limited to inhalation. As a consequence, the cobalt industry plans to invest significant additional resources to generate new scientific evidence to conclusively prove that cobalt metal can be used safely once exposure via inhalation is controlled. The Cobalt Institute explains that it welcomes the European Commission’s recognition, through the temporary GCL, of the need to further refine the methodology for deriving concentration limits for inorganic materials such as cobalt metal. The association encourages the EU and member state authorities to continue to engage in the expert group which has been established to review this methodology under the European Chemicals Agency. In the meantime, the CI reports that it will be important in its view to maintain the current GCL, the appropriateness of which it is confident will be confirmed by the ECHA review. www.cobaltinstitute.org
Industry News
MIM2021 issues call for papers
Industries Federation, and its affiliate APMI International. Highlights of the 2021 event include a full programme of both high-level technical research and commercially-oriented presentations, tabletop exhibition & networking reception, and the annual PIM Tutorial, presented by industry veteran Randall M German. Authors wishing to present a paper at MIM2021 should submit an abstract using the submission form, which can be downloaded via the conference website. www.mim2021.org
A call for presentations has been issued for MIM2021: International Conference on Injection Molding of Metals, Ceramics and Carbides, to be held in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, February 22–24, 2021. Presentation submissions will close on September 30, 2020. The conference is sponsored by the Metal Injection Molding Association, a trade association of the Metal Powder
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Vol. 14 No. 2 © 2020 Inovar Communications Ltd
4/16/20 3:28 PM
June 2020 Powder Injection Moulding International
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