• July 2012. New publication. TR 114: ECETOC TRA version 3: Background and Rationale for the Improvements

• 5 July 2012. Consumer standalone tool updated. Users of the consumer tool are recommended to replace their existing copy by this version which resolves a number of issues highlighted in users feedback since the TRAv3 launch in April 2012. Note that this updated tool is called "ConsumerTRA_Ver3_2May2012.xls"; this is because it was created on that date and has been in testing since then.

• Invitation to join a stakeholder group  with an interest in worker exposure assessment models under REACH

Introduction

The ECETOC Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA) tool was launched in 2004. The TRA consists of 3 separate models for estimating exposures to workers, consumers and the environment that arise during a series of events (’exposure scenarios’).  In order to ensure that the TRA fully aligned with the expectations contained in Chapters R12-R16 of the Technical Guidance on Information Requirements and Chemicals Safety Assessment (IR&CSA), ECETOC released version 2 of the TRA in 2009. The general success of the TRA concept is witnessed by the fact that, by the beginning of 2012, there were over 11,000 downloads of the TRA Tool.

Following the completion of Phase 1 of REACH in December 2010, ECETOC approached users of the TRA to seek their ideas for how the TRA might be further improved. The aim of this exercise was to ensure that key learnings arising from the use of the TRA in 2009/10 could be captured into an updated version that would be available for use in Phase 2 of REACH. The intention was not to radically overhaul the TRA, rather to further improve its accuracy and flexibility, within its existing framework.

Version 3 of the Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA) Tool

In April 2012, ECETOC launched version 3 of the Targeted Risk Assessment (TRA) Tool together with updated user guides. The TRA Tool is available in two forms: as an integrated exposure/risk assessment tool covering worker, consumer and environmental exposures; and as a standalone consumer exposure estimation tool.  Both forms of the TRA are downloadable from the TRA website without charge, together with their supporting user guides. It is not ECETOC’s intention to support a standalone worker version 3 of the tool.  Technical Report No. 114 details the full technical basis for version 3. The technical basis for TRA v1 and TRA v2 remains accessible via the Technical Reports 93 and 107.

ECETOC has been working with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) as part of its work activities associated with the delivery of a revised version of the Chesar Chemical Safety Assessment tool (http://chesar.echa.europa.eu/). The new version of Chesar was released in June 2012 and is intended to directly reflect version 3 of the TRA for both worker and consumer exposures. Furthermore,  Chesar v2 allows the incorporation of the Specific Environmental Release Categories (SpERCs) that are included as a key element of the environmental component of the TRA v3.

See 'History' for further information on the history of the tool.

Scientific Secretary to the TRA: Environmental-Sciences-Manager Malyka Galay Burgos

Disclaimer:

Please note that the tool is provided for personal use only. It should not be copied or forwarded to third parties. The tool has been subjected to thorough testing. Despite this, ECETOC does not guarantee that the ECETOC TRA tool works error-free. The tool contains SCEDS and SPERC content, which has been provided by third parties. ECETOC is making this tool available for users to aid them in the risk assessment of their materials. ECETOC offers no warranty either to the reliability of the tool and of the provided information or to the conclusions or assumptions made by any user on the basis of the use of this tool or the use of such information. All usage is at the discretion of the user and ECETOC is not liable for any consequences resulting from such use.