20.9.2012 Official Journal of the European Union L 253/5 COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 848/2012 of 19 September 2012 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) as regards phenylmercury compounds (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67[EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC (!), and in particular Article 68(1) thereof, Whereas: (1) In its Communication to the Council and the European Parliament on a Community Strategy Concerning Mercury () the Commission outlined that it is necessary to reduce mercury levels in the environment and human exposure and proposed as objectives, among others, the reduction of entry into circulation of mercury in society, by cutting supply and demand, the reduction of mercury emissions and the protection against mercury emissions. That Communication was reviewed in 2010 (). (2)  The Council has reaffirmed several times its commitment to the overall objective of protecting human health and the environment from the release of mercury and its compounds by minimising and, where feasible, ultimately eliminating global anthropogenic mercury releases to air, water and land. In this context, the Council underlined that mercury-added products, where viable alternatives exist, should be phased out as rapidly and as completely as possible, with the ultimate goal that all mercury-added products should be phased-out, taking into due account technical and economic circumstances and the needs for scientific research and development (*). (3)  Mercury and its compounds are highly toxic to humans, ecosystems and wildlife. High doses can be fatal to humans, but even relatively low doses can have serious adverse neurodevelopmental impacts and have also been linked with possible harmful effects on the cardiov- ascular, immune and reproductive systems. Mercury is () OJ L 396, 30.12.2006, p. 1. () COM(2005) 20 final. () COM(2010) 723 final. (*) Council Conclusions of 15 March 2011 ‘Review of the Community Strategy Concerning Mercury’, of 4 December 2008 ‘Addressing global mercury challenges and of 24 June 2005 ‘On the Community Strategy Concerning Mercury’. considered as a global persistent pollutant, circulating between air, water, sediments, soil and biota in various forms and can change in the environment into methyl- mercury, its most toxic form. 4 Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 provides that, if a Member State considers that the manufacture, placing on the market or use of a substance on its own, in a mixture or in an article poses a risk to human health or the environment that is not adequately controlled and needs to be addressed, it shall prepare a dossier after notifying that intention to the European Chemicals Agency (hereinafter ‘the Agency). (5)  Pursuant to Decision of the EEA Joint Committee No 252008 of 14 March 2008 amending Annex II (Technical regulations, standards, testing and certification) to the EEA Agreement (), Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 was incorporated into the Agreement on the European Economic Area. (6)  Norway has prepared a dossier concerning five phenylmercury compounds, namely phenylmercury acetate, phenylmercury propionate, phenylmercury 2- ethylhexanoate, ~ phenylmercury ~ octanoate  and phenylmercury neodecanoate, which demonstrates that action on a Union-wide basis is necessary to address the risk to human health and the environment posed by the manufacture, use and placing on the market of those substances, on their own, in mixtures and articles. That dossier was submitted to the Agency in order to initiate the restriction process. (7)  The five phenylmercury compounds are known to be used especially as catalysts in polyurethane systems used for coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomer appli- cations. The mercury catalysts are incorporated into the polymer structure and remain in the final article from which mercury or phenylmercury compounds are not released intentionally. Other phenylmercury compounds are not known to be used as catalysts in polyurethane systems and therefore they were not included in the assessment performed in the dossier. (8)  The life-cycle of the phenylmercury compounds leads to a significant release of mercury to the environment and adds to the overall emissions of mercury. In particular, the phenylmercury compounds are degraded in the environment and give degradation products, including methylmercury, with equivalent level of concern to persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances (PBTs). The interconversion of metabolites of phenylmercury () OJ L 182, 10.7.2008, p. 11.