Nearly one in five hazardous mixtures checked across Europe had not been reported to poison centres, according to the findings of a major EU enforcement project.

 

Inspectors in 18 EU/EEA countries examined 1,597 mixtures to assess whether companies are complying with their legal obligation to notify national poison centres under the EU’s Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. The requirement ensures poison centres have the critical information needed to respond quickly and effectively in medical emergencies.

 

The results raise concern: 19% of the mixtures inspected had not been notified to authorities.

 

Chris Van den hole, the Working Group Chair of the pilot project, warned of the potential consequences.

 

“Missing notifications of the necessary information to the poison centres undermine the effectiveness of emergency response. Therefore, inspectors take these findings very seriously and initiated numerous enforcement actions to bring companies to compliance.

 

“To improve the situation, we have listed recommendations for market actors, authorities and consumers in our report.”

 

The project also uncovered labelling failures. In 15% of inspected products, the mandatory Unique Formula Identifier (UFI) was missing from the label. The 16-character alphanumeric UFI code enables poison centres to rapidly identify a mixture in cases of accidental exposure — a potentially life-saving tool when time is critical.

 

Where breaches were identified, inspectors moved swiftly. The most common response was written advice to companies, followed by verbal warnings, administrative orders and fines. In some cases, authorities went further, filing criminal complaints. Several cases remain under investigation.

 

Under the CLP Regulation, companies placing hazardous mixtures on the market must submit detailed composition information to designated national bodies. This data is shared with poison centres to support medical professionals and citizens during emergencies involving substances that pose health or physical risks — including corrosive, eye-damaging or explosive products.

 

Company names and brand details were not disclosed as part of the project, which aimed primarily to harmonise and strengthen enforcement across EU Member States.

 

The findings send a clear signal: compliance gaps remain — and regulators are watching.