News

vSubstance evaluations for their potential endocrine-disrupting (ED) properties are an integral part of the approval process for biocides and pesticides. For these regulatory areas legally binding criteria for the ED assessment have been established. The evaluation is supported by the EFSA / ECHA Guidance for the identification of endocrine disruptors. Criteria for ED substance evaluation under REACH have not yet been adopted. However, a rating as an endocrine disruptor also has far-reaching consequences under REACH. FoBiG will gladly assist you in assessing your substances for a possible ED effect.

For further questions please contact Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz.

FoBiG continues its successful work on draft dossiers for harmonized classification and labelling on behalf of DG Environment in a new project. In this project FoBiG will prepare four draft CLH dossiers with proposals for CMR properties and five draft dossiers on harmonized classification for acute toxicity. Results will be discussed with ECHA and the relevant Member States Competent authorities.

For further information please contact Klaus Schneider.

An exciting year, with a lot of changes for FoBiG, comes to an end. Our veterans Fritz Kalberlah and Martin Hassauer retired as company partners and staff members – and support us further as freelancers at their whim. FoBiG won over four long-time staff members as new company partners and with our new colleagues Melanie Macherey und Marco Dilger our scientific team got substantial reinforcement. We are prepared for the future!

Many thanks to all friends, colleagues and clients for their good cooperation. We wish you a well-deserved break, a relaxing Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year!

Manganese is a naturally occurring element that is detectable in drinking water. It is one of the essential trace elements. In higher doses, however, it may cause neurotoxic effects among other things. The existing drinking water limit value of 0.05 mg / L is aesthetically and technically motivated. The publication of Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz in the database “Trinkwasser aktuell” summarizes the current data situation and points to the need to update the toxicological assessment.

For further questions please contact Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz.

In the case of defense, if the regular drinking water supply fails, a temporary emergency supply with hygienic non-hazardous emergency (drinking) water needs to be ensured. However, the requirements for the quality of this water do not comply with the regulation of the Drinking Water Ordinance due to the limited duration of this emergency supply. On behalf of the BBK (Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance), FoBiG has revised the intervention values for emergency water. The results have now been published in the database “Trinkwasser aktuell”.

For further questions please contact Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz.

Congratulations to our colleague Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz who has again been appointed an honorary member of the German Drinking Water Committee (TWK) for the period 2018 to 2022. The TWK is a national expert committee of the Federal Ministry of Health which is associated to the German Environment Agency. The TWK deliberates upon actual questions and problems of drinking water hygiene. TWK recommendations, which are especially bound to precautionary health protection, serve as a basis for the activities of health authorities and water suppliers. The recommendations supplement and illustrate the specifications of the drinking water regulation. Major activities of Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz are in the field of toxicological problems associated with drinking water protection.

Klaus Schneider was an invited speaker at „Umwelt 2018“ (10. bis 12. September 2018) in Münster. He presented results from two research projects on behalf of the German Enironmental Agency on the toxicological evaluation of PAHs and on semipolar heterocyclic hydrocarbons in complex UVCB substances. The presentation in german can be found here.

For further questions please contact Klaus Schneider.

As part of the training as toxicologist GT and the qualification for Eurotox European Registered Toxicologist (ERT) FoBiG is accepted according to the decision of the Training Commission at the last meeting, as a training center for a share of 3 years of 5 years of training.

Responsible for the training is Ulrike Schuhmacher-Wolz.

Meet FoBiG employee Karin Heine at the ESTIV Congress 2018 from 15.-18. October in Berlin. She presents the in vitro test strategy and results from a project, which assessed the sensitizing potency of epoxy resin ingredients (P 142). The project was funded by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) and the final report is available (DGUV FP-0384).

For further Information, please contact Karin Heine.

Recently FoBiG started a project (F2437) on behalf of the German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA), which investigates the scientific basis of the derivation of occupational exposure values. The project aims at disclosing differences between current methods with the objective to contribute to method harmonization. Based on updated empirical data distributions for extrapolation factors will be determined. Further activities address new approaches such as methods for probabilistic hazard assessment.

For further information please contact Klaus Schneider.

In a project for the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment FoBiG together with partners from aproxima investigated survey methods to retrieve information for estimating chemical exposure from consumer products. With example products such as paints, fillers and cockpit spray as well as various consumer articles, we compiled information on use amounts, frequency and duration of use and other information on consumer behaviour. The results are now published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

For further information please contact Klaus Schneider.

Due to ECHA taking over the ownership of EUSES, ECHA held a workshop for invited stakeholders from industrial chemicals and biocides areas on update needs of EUSES. Our Markus Schwarz attended this workshop. Relating to both, release as well as fate modelling modules, attendants had the possibility to raise topics in addition to the ones proposed by the workshop organizing committee in advance of the workshop. As such, 27 topics were raised for discussion. A document with detailed description for each topic is available from ECHA’s web page (Annex 2). All topics were explained and discussed, 12 topics were prioritized before the workshop based on impact and state of development. Participants selected ca. 8 topics for further discussions in a “World Café”. The workshop was meant as an initial prioritization approach on update needs. ECHA intends to provide a documentation of the workshop for download. The workshop will be followed by a more detailed pre-study on needs, solutions and costs (Q4 2018 to Q2 2019) as a basis for ECHA to decide on a redevelopment and update of EUSES (possibly Q4 2019 to Q3 2021).