ECHA publishes new example exposure scenarios

News Alert

ECHA/NA/11/35
Media enquiries: ECHA Press

To support companies in complying with one of their new obligations under REACH, ECHA has developed practical examples of how to generate exposure scenarios (ESs) together with the cleaning products industry and the construction chemicals industry.

Helsinki, 31 August 2011 - The REACH Regulation requires the exposure scenario to be documented in the Chemical Safety Report¹ (CSR) by the manufacturer or importer of the substance and attached to the safety data sheet, if that substance is placed on the market.

The new example exposure scenarios are featured in two publications that are now available on the ECHA website. These are useful for both registrants and downstream users receiving extended safety data sheets (SDSs) for registered REACH substances.

The publications provide descriptions of both professional and consumer use of the substances. One document presents an example ES that refers to the widespread use of a substance in floor coatings applied by workers. The other document contains an example ES on the use of cleaning products by consumers. In both example ESs, the substances are classified as hazardous to human health but with a relatively low hazard level.

Each publication includes:

• exposure scenarios, exposure estimations and risk characterisations for the CSR and for communication via the SDS;
• a description of the methodologies applied;
• learning points and conclusions from the exemplification process;
• open questions where further work is needed.

The examples have been developed using ECHA's guidance available at the time of publication. ECHA's chemical safety assessment and reporting tool, Chesar (version 1.2), was used to build the examples.

¹Article 14.4.(a) of the REACH Regulation