Navigating chemical group regulations across the supply chain
Martina Schneider of UL Solutions looks at the complex challenge of addressing PFAS regulation globally
Over recent years there has been an evident shift in approaches to regulating chemical substances that cause safety, health or environmental concerns. Regulators have increasingly adopted legislation covering structural groups of chemicals rather than individual substances in their attempts to provide efficient regulatory frameworks in which regrettable substitutions are limited, chemicals are regulated consistently and action is taken quickly where risks are identified.
For industry, this presents challenges related to substance identification, material selection and compliance monitoring. In order to comply with an array of safety, health and environmental legislation, companies often rely on heavily automated chemical assessments and complex IT systems employing globally recognised identifiers, such as CAS Registry Numbers( RNs).
Herein lies a crucial disconnect that automated processes do not always capture: regulatory frameworks often define groups of chemicals using broad, descriptive terms, whereas a company’ s inventory lists individual substances identified by specific CAS RNs. In the absence of a technical review by a trained professional, there is a significant risk that the presence of regulated group substances will go unidentified.
With a broad approach, regulating chemicals under chemical groups reduces access to options when developing new products, which may impact performance or viability of the product overall. Being able to identify, track and interpret the scope of group-based regulations is of paramount importance to successfully managing products in market and those in development before issues arise or expensive research is wasted.
A complex global problem
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances( PFAS) are currently a global concern for many regulators, industries and groups of consumers. Once hailed for their physical properties, PFAS are an example of a group of man-made chemicals undergoing regulation worldwide. However, the regulatory approaches are not harmonised, with authorities seeking to establish regulations targeting specific subgroups or the entire class.
40 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981