Report published on the methodologies employed in the environmental risk assessment of petroleum substances

ECHA/NA/13/37

Commissioned by ECHA, this report provides conclusions and offers recommendations for improving the scientific validity and applicability of the most common methods used to assess the environmental risks of petroleum substances.

Helsinki, 21 October 2013 – The report of a study that ECHA commissioned has been published on ECHA's website: 'A critical review of the environmental and physicochemical methodologies commonly employed in the environmental risk assessment of petroleum substances in the context of REACH registrations'.

In this report, the consultant provides conclusions on the scientific validity and the applicability of the PetroTox and Hydrocarbon Block Method tools developed by the industry association CONCAWE. The tools are designed for predicting environmental hazards, exposure and subsequently the environmental risks associated with petroleum hydrocarbons in the context of REACH registrations.

In brief, the report concludes that the target lipid model (TLM), upon which PetroTox is based, requires improvement in a number of areas. The report also recommends the use of an additional assessment factor to address a number of uncertainties described in the report.

The report will inform decision making in the evaluation of petroleum substance registrations.