News

The assessment and labeling of material emissions from building products into indoor air is the basis for sustainable criteria for consumer protection in this area. To be able to refer to uniform values throughout Europe, the European Commission has begun to raise harmonised classifications. The Federal Environment Agency of Germany (UBA) supports these efforts at the German level. It has already commissioned several expert reports during the last years to develop harmonised EU LCI values. FoBiG has been involved in several of them. The most recent report about the substances β-pinene, other terpenes, pentanols, 5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CIT) and 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MIT) has just been published. FoBiG prepared the substance report for CIT and MIT and derived the EU LCI values for these substances.

Background information on EU LCI values can also be found on the UBA website.

In a project for the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), FoBiG, together with RPA Europe S.R.L., has compiled and compared the data requirements and risk assessment methodologies for chemicals in several regulatory areas. The areas examined in detail included e.g. REACH chemicals, biocides, plant protection products, cosmetics, food and feed additives and medicinal products for human and veterinary use. The project provides extensive data, uses comparative analyses to identify differences between regulatory areas, for example with regard to test requirements and assessment methods, and provides examples for possible harmonisation. The results can serve as a basis for the further implementation of the "One Substance - One Assessment" goal formulated in the EU chemicals strategy. The comprehensive project report, including detailed spreadsheet data compilations, was recently published by EFSA.

a year is coming to an end, in which we have been involved in many interesting projects, e.g. for the European Food Safety Authority, the European Commission, but also for many (and often long-standing) customers from various industrial sectors. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our friends, business partners and customers for the good and trusting cooperation.

The FoBiG team wishes you a relaxing break and a good start to the new year 2024!

This year’s works outing took us back into the past of the metal industry. A former worker gave us a first-hand insight into the World Heritage Site Völklingen Ironworks near Saarbrücken. We were impressed by this working world of days not long gone.

In August, our employee Anne Bierwisch has become German C3ricket League Champion with the team BW-United. In the final, BW-United won clearly against Bayer Uerdingen by 180 runs to 87 runs, with Anne Bierwisch contributing 66 runs from 49 balls faced while batting, earning her the Player of the Match award. Congratulations!

Since April 2023 the amendment of the CLP regulation has been in force, which also requires classification of chemicals on the European market without tonnage restrictions with regard to the complex endpoints of endocrine disruption and environmental persistence. This can be a challenge, especially for substances with low tonnages and few experimental data.

FoBiG has summarized the essential points for you:
•    Classification requirements for the endpoint endocrine disruption
•    Classification requirements for the endpoint environmental persistence (PBT und PMT).

Start checking your portfolio in good time.

On 20 April 2023, the Delegated Act amending the European CLP Regulation (Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/707) to introduce new hazard classes entered into force. In the future, substances and mixtures must be evaluated with regard to the following properties:

• endocrine disruptor for human health (ED HH)
• endocrine disruptor for the environment (ED ENV)
• persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT or vPvB)  
• persistent, mobile and toxic (PMT or vPvM).

From 1 May 2025, all substances newly placed on the market must be labelled according to the new regulations. For all substances that appeared on the market before 1 May 2025, this will apply from 1 November 2026. Even if these legal deadlines for labelling seem sufficiently long, we recommend companies to screen and prioritise the substance portfolio early on, as the assessment steps are extensive and time-consuming.

We are happy to support you with all questions and tasks in this context.
 

ECHA planned to update its completeness check rules as of 1 May 2023. We reported here.
However, the new rules will, as it has now been announced, only come into force on 1 June 2023, due to delays in the IUCLID release.
 

At the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 62nd Annual Meeting (March 19-23 2023) in Nashville, Tennessee, Klaus Schneider will participate in the workshop „Shedding Light on Population Variability and Susceptibility: New Approach Methods to Inform Risk Assessment” and will present results from the BAuA research project F2437 regarding inter-individual variability.

ECHA will update its rules in the Completeness Check as of May 1, 2023.
Background are the changed requirements from the regulations
•    Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/979 of 17 June 2021,
•    Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/477 of 24 March 2022,
ECHA Board of Appeal decisions on information requirements concerning aquatic toxicity and degradation as well as shortcomings in use descriptions identified by ECHA.
FoBiG will be happy to assist you with any questions you may have on how to make your registration dossier fit for the new rules.

On 21.10.2022 and 24.10.2022 a working group of OECD organised a workshop on setting Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) with a special focus on harmonisation of OELs. Klaus Schneider was invited to report on results from the BAuA research project F 2437 („Derivation of occupational exposure limits for airborne chemicals - Comparison of methods and protection levels“) and to present approaches towards harmonisation.

The lectures are online now.

A year with many exciting projects is coming to an end. We would like to take the opportunity and thank all friends, business partners and customers for the good and close collaboration over the past year.
The year 2022 also marked FoBiG’s 30th anniversary. Time for small innovations: Not only our Christmas card, with which we want to support Doctors Without Borders, but also the website has been given a new look. Please feel free to have a look at www.fobig.com. In the new design, which is now also easy to read on mobile devices, you will find our services, projects and publications as well as the direct contact details of our staff.
The FoBiG team wishes you a relaxing Christmas break and a good start into the new year 2023!