Assessing the human health and environmental safety of polymers

Terms of Reference

• Considering existing risk assessment approaches (e.g. food safety regulation, EU Technical Guidance Document/REACH Guidance, international polymer assessment frameworks), develop a conceptual framework for polymer risk assessment which maps polymer types/ groups and their life cycles and associated protection goals (human health and environment).

• Based on industry knowledge about polymers, their composition and uses, and based on existing experience, e.g. from the risk assessment of food contact materials, the concept of 'polymers of low concern' (PLC) will be evaluated as an approach for prioritising polymers with regard to human health and environmental safety.

• Identify where concepts/approaches are available (e.g. low MW molecules in FCM) and outline the knowledge / data gaps which need to be closed to make the developed conceptual framework approach applicable.

• Clarify to which extent chemical risk assessment addresses the risks related to particulate plastic materials.

Polymers of Low Concern are polymers that are deemed to have insignificant environmental and human health impacts and thus have either reduced regulatory requirements or are exempt. The PLC concept has been implemented by several national regulations on polymers.

Objectives

The objective of the Task Force is to develop a conceptual framework for human health and environmental safety assessment of polymers as resource for industry to achieve a common level of understanding, to establish a basis for a discussion with regulators and policy makers, and, finally, to harmonise polymer risk assessment across industry. To that end, the elements used in existing approaches for polymer risk assessment will be incorporated into the framework and the complexity of polymer compositions and uses will be taken into account.

Timeline and deliverables

The Task Force held their kick-off meeting in April 2018.

The following deliverables have been prepared by the Task Force (complete reports are available for download from the column on the right):

• The ECETOC Conceptual Framework for Polymer Risk Assessment (CF4Polymers). (ECETOC TR No. 133-1)
• A review of the applicability of standardised analytical tools, test methods and in silico models to assess the physical, chemical, fate, ecotoxicological and toxicological properties of polymers. (ECETOC TR No. 133-2)
• A selection of case studies addressing different components of polymer grouping and RA to put the CF4Polymers into practice. (ECETOC TR No. 133-3).

Note: These Technical Report reflects current experience and knowledge and shall be adapted, amended and refined as new evidence on polymer risk assessment becomes available.

After publishing three Technical Reports on the ECETOC Conceptual Framework For Polymer Risk Assessment CF4Polymers (TR 133-1, TR 133-2, TR-133-3) over the past few years, the Task Force is now actively contributing to the CARACAL subgroup (CASG) on Polymers.