Regulatory risk assessment of down-the-drain products: giving urban catchments a story
Risk assessments of down-the-drain products, under REACH and the BPR, are largely reliant on the specifications of the simulated catchment, from the number and type of buildings to the collective inhabitants’ product usage behaviour. This poster looks at Biocides Product Type 18 (insecticides) ERA as a case study.
The current emission document (OECD series on emission scenario documents – Nb 18 – emission scenario document for insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods for household and professional uses) proposes default scenarios for the assessment of potential environmental emission for the use of biocides in the residential environment. The typical pathway for biocidal substances that are applied indoor are generally down-the-drain, following a wet-cleaning event indoors. The Fsimultaneity parameter, which defines the likelihood/extent of product usage across the catchment, simplify usage to a single conservative value representing daily likelihood, which is shared across all buildings.
This poster aims to compare results obtained using this standard approach, to a model that more closely reflects individual consumer behaviour, where each building would have its own story. Can a more complex representation of product use provide insights into uncertainty and on the potential impact of mitigation measures which can influence user behaviour?
The poster is available for free download.