PBT/PMT Workshop

The event was an inspiring afternoon attended by over one hundred participants from a wide range of disciplines, including water authorities, environmental agencies, universities, industry, policymakers, policy advisors, inspectors and risk assessors.

The workshop included an explanation of the recent revision of the European Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) Regulation. In addition to the existing PBT/vPvB criteria, a new category was introduced for substances with PMT/vPvM properties. Key elements of the accompanying guidance to the updated CLP Regulation were presented.

Participants reflected on more than 20 years of PBT/vPvB assessment: which substances and groups of substances have been identified to date, and what key lessons have been learned? Using the PBT screening tool, it was demonstrated which high-scoring substances have already been assessed and which could be prioritised for further evaluation. The newly developed PMT screening tool by RIVM illustrated which substance groups rank highly in terms of (potential) PMT-like properties. The presentations showed how these scores, in combination with supplementary data such as experimental results, production volumes, uses and environmental monitoring, can support the prioritisation of substances for harmonised classification as PMT/vPvM or for substance evaluation.

Three short presentations by participants provided practical insights from the field. The first explored technical approaches identifying, quantifying and screening the various components of complex mixtures such as diesel for persistence. The second demonstrated how online information from safety data sheets can be extracted to gather data on potential substances of very high concern (SVHC), complementing physical data collection from companies or inspections. The third was a plea from the water sector to use upcoming European substance classifications as a basis for setting discharge limits.