Treated articles are articles or mixtures which have been treated with or which intentionally incorporate one or more biocidal products. Articles treated with biocidal products must comply with a number of labelling requirements.
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What are the products that may be used for treating articles?
Treated articles can be made available on the market only if the active substance in the biocidal product for the specific purpose is:
- Approved at the European level via the Review Programme; or
- Included in Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 (active substances that are not substances of concern); or
- Included in the European Review Programme for existing active substances
Refer to the Article 94 list of the European Chemicals Agency to check whether or not a treated article is legally on the market.
Treated article or biocidal product?
- A treated article with an exclusively biocidal function (i.e. the active substance contributes to the sole purpose of the article) is a biocidal product
- Example: disinfectant wipes or mosquito nets impregnated with an insect repellent
- If mixtures, substances or articles are treated with biocidal products, they are referred to as ‘treated articles’. The biocidal products protect the articles against damage caused by harmful organisms such as vermin, fungi and bacteria. They fall under the regulations for treated articles.
- Example: garments treated with a textile protecting agent or a dye to which a preservative has been added.
- For treated articles with multiple functions, including a biocidal function, a case-by-case assessment is made to determine their regulatory status. The status as biocidal product or treated article depends on whether the biocidal function is primary. A treated article with a primarily biocidal function is considered a biocidal product (Art. 3 of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012).
A guideline document has been developed for the evaluation.
If you are unsure about whether or not your product is a treated article, you may contact our Helpdesk for advice.
Labelling
Labelling of treated articles is always mandatory when any of the biocidal properties referred to in Article 58 of Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 are involved.
The label must:
- be properly visible
- be clearly legible
- be formulated in the national language of the Member State in which it is made available on the market
- contain the following information:
- a statement indicating that the treated article contains biocidal products
- the biocidal property attributed to the treated article
- the names of all active substances contained in the biocidal product
- where applicable, the names of all biocidal nanomaterials, followed by the word ‘nano’ in parentheses
- the instructions for use
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What you need to know about treated articles
Key information from ECHA on the topic of treated articles