The 'EINECS number' (for 'European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances') is a registry number given to each
chemical substance commercially available in the
European Union between
1 January 1971 and
18 September 1981. The inventory was created by
Directive 67/548/EEC concerning the labeling of dangerous substances: the EINECS number(s) must appear on the label and the packaging of dangerous substances.
As from
19 September 1981, the inventory has been replaced by the 'European List of Notified Chemical Substances' ('ELINCS'). All "new" substances brought on to the European market are allocated an
ELINCS number after their notification to the
European Commission. The
ELINCS number is also obligatory on labels and packaging.
The term '
EC number' is now preferred to the outmoded "EINECS/ELINCS number" designations, but this is not to be confused with the Enzyme Commission
EC numbers.
There are 100,204 different substances in the EINECS.
Format
An EINECS number is a seven-digit system number of the form 2XX-XXX-X or 3XX-XXX-X, starting at 200-001-8.
An ELINCS number is a seven-digit system number of the form 4XX-XXX-X, starting at 400-010-9.
The EINECS/ELINCS/EC Number may be written in a general form as:
NNN-NNN-R
123-456-0
In which R represents the check digit and N represents a fundamental sequential number. The check digit is derived from the following formula:
1N + 2N + 3N + 4N + 5N + 6N R
--------------------------- = Q + --
11 11
In which Q represents an integer which is discarded.
See also
★
CAS registry number
★
Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH)
External links
★ http://www.ovid.com/site/products/fieldguide/EINECS/eine.htm#abouthealth EINECS Plus (EINE)
★ http://ecb.jrc.it/esis/
ESIS (European chemical Substances Information System from ECB)
★ http://www.eurochem.info/
EuroChem (European Portal for Chemistry )
★ http://www.reach-compliance.eu/english/legislation/reach-exemptions.html REACH Full Exemptions (EINECS and CAS numbers)