Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA)
Targeted Risk Assessment and REACH
REACH is the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals. It entered into force on 1st June 2007. It streamlines and improves the former legislative framework on chemicals of the European Union. One of the key challenges of REACH is that it envisages the registration and evaluation of approximately 30,000 chemicals by producers and importers. Many of these chemicals will be classified and will require Chemical Safety Assessments to support their registration. Faced with such a challenge, both practically and scientifically, suitable tools that are accessible to non-experts are a key need of the REACH process.
To achieve these aims, ECETOC has developed a tiered (step by step) approach for calculating the exposure to and risks from chemicals that might reasonably be expected in defined circumstances of use. The approach addresses exposure to consumers, workers and the environment.
Since its launch in 2004, the ECETOC Targeted Risk Assessment Tool has proved to be an overwhelming success. The value of the TRA was recognised under the European Commission's REACH RIP 3.2 stakeholder review activity on the development of chemical safety assessments. Specifically, the TRA was seen to be the preferred approach for evaluating worker health risks (at the Tier 1 level) and having the potential for also being adopted for evaluating consumer health risks.
The general concept of ECETOC's targeted risk assessment (TRA) is based on the premise that, by making suitably conservative assumptions, broad exposure/risk models can be applied to determine where any further detailed assessment of risks may be required.
Since the summer of 2007, ECETOC has continued its dialogue with stakeholders and notably the Commission / European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Many of the ideas outlined in the August 2007 Scoping Document are now incorporated into the planned ECHA CSA/CSR tool (Chesar). Furthermore, as the specification for the CSA/CSR tool foresees integrating the use of several elements of the TRA exposure estimation models, the TRA Task Force has worked to develop improved exposure estimation models for workers, consumers and the environment that continue to carry forward the principles that were pioneered in the original TRA web tool whilst accommodating many helpful suggestions from the stakeholder process.
The tools
The TRA assessment tools are made available as two individual assessment tools for worker or consumer assessment. Alternatively, the two tools, completed by the environmental tool, are provided in an integrated version which allows the user to perform the assessments via one interface. All ECETOC TRA tools can be downloaded free of charge.
Procedure:
- Click on the "download icon" for the required tool
- Complete the download request form
- You will receive an email containing a download link. This should arrive within a few minutes; if it does not appear in your inbox then please check your spam mail settings and spam/junk mail box
- The TRA Tools open in MS Excel and depend upon macros to function; the procedure to enable macros varies according to the version of MS Excel that you are using; if unsure please go to the help section of your program and search for macro security
TRA 2010 versions
Subsequent to the release of the TRAv2 in July 2009, ECETOC has held a series of meetings and events with experts from member companies and regulatory authorities with the aim of identifying what further modifications may be either necessary or beneficial.
While the science underlying the ECETOC Targeted Risk Assessment remains unchanged, ECETOC has revised certain aspects of the Targeted Risk Assessment tool in order to:
- take into account the latest development of the REACH Guidance Chapters R12, R14, R15, and R16
- respond to the users' feedback and to implement the full functionality of the tools
The major changes in the individual tools are :
Worker tool (standalone version):
- revised version (debugged version)
Environment assessment (integrated tool):
- revised version (debugged version)
- a comprehensive list of SPERCs has been implemented in order to facilitate refined assessments
- the emissions from wide dispersive uses are now summed up
Consumer assessment (standalone and integrated):
- the revised use descriptor system has been implemented, together with associated Product sub Categories and related exposure determinants
Only available through the integrated tool
Please note that ECETOC does not operate a help desk: users should refer to the two TRA reports - TR 93 and TR 107, available above in 'supporting documents'.
Never received the email? If it's been less than 10 minutes, please check again. Make sure that it didn't end up in your spam or junk mail folder. If you still experience problems downloading these tools, please contact us:
Never received the email? If it's been less than 10 minutes, please check again.
Make sure that it didn't end up in your spam or junk mail folder.
Otherwise, please contact us.
Prof. Dik van de Meent and Anne Hollander from Radboud University Nijmegen (www.cem-nl.eu), who are the co-developers of the ECETOC TRATool, have been endorsed by the TRA Task Force to provide support and trainings for TRA users. There are possibilities for in-house trainings in companies and individuals.
For more information please contact: