European Chemical Industry Research Articles

European union system for the evaluation of substances: the second version

This publication presents major changes in the assessment of the risks of chemicals to human health and the environment as implemented in the second version of the European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances, EUSES 2.0. EUSES is a harmonised quantitative risk assessment tool for chemicals. It is the PC-implementation of the technical guidelines developed within the framework of EU chemical legislation for industrial chemicals and biocides. As such, it is designed to support decision making by risk managers in government and industry and to assist scientific institutions in the risk assessment for these substances. The development of EUSES 2.0 is a co-ordinated project of the European Chemicals Bureau, EU Member States and the European chemical industry. Several model concepts, the technical background and the user interface of EUSES have been improved considerably. Major changes in the environmental assessment such as the implementation of emission scenario documents for industrial chemicals and biocides, the addition of the marine risk assessment, the enhancement of the regional model to include global scales, and improvements in the secondary poisoning and environmental effects modelling will be discussed. The update of the human risk assessment module in EUSES focuses on the risk characterisation for both threshold and non-threshold substances with, among others, the introduction of assessment factors. The performance of EUSES is illustrated in an example showing the human and environmental risk assessment of a sanitation disinfectant for private use.

EASEing into the Future

In this edition of the Annals you will find five papers relating to the Estimation and Assessment of Substance Exposure (EASE) model. There are papers on: the history of the development of the EASE model (Tickner et al., 2005), the evaluation and further development of the EASE model (Creely et al., 2005), the validity of the EASE dermal model (Hughson and Cherrie, 2005) and two papers on the validity of the inhalation model (Cherrie and Hughson, 2005; Johnston et al., 2005). Other earlier studies have looked at the validity of the EASE model (Vincent et al., 1996; Devillers et al., 1997; ECETOC, 1997; Van Rooij and Jongeneelen, 1999; Mark, 1999 and Bredendiek-Kamper, 2001) The EASE model was first developed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on behalf of the European Union (EU) in the early 1990s. EU legislation required evaluation of the health risk of new chemicals before they were placed on the market, and this required estimation of exposure during use. Obviously, there were unlikely to be exposure measurements available for new chemicals, and EASE was designed purely as a screening tool to assist the estimation. There is currently much interest in and discussion of the changes to the European chemical supply legislation (http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/ reach/index.htm). This is reflected in the range of regulators, industry and academia supporting the work on EASE in this issue, including the UK HSE, the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), The American Chemistry Council, the International Lead Zinc Research Organization (ILZRO) and the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers. As EASE is the main model used for regulatory occupational exposure assessment in the EU, now is a good time to question whether or not the current model can be upgraded or whether a new model is needed to face the challenges in European regulatory risk assessment that are to come. The basis for the development of EASE was the conceptual model outlined by Devine (Devine, 1993). This model postulates that the concentration of a substance could be predicted by analogy with similar situations, provided that the judgements made were calibrated by reference to measured exposure data that was sufficiently comprehensive, precise and representative. The model is based on three parameters: the tendency to become airborne, the way in which the substance is used and the means of control. The first, MS-DOS, version of EASE was soon found to be too crude to produce useful predictions. The second, Windows, version was produced by HSE in 1997 and had been improved mainly by changing the software interface and fixing obvious deficiencies in the model structure. A third version was developed but was never distributed because problems arose during user trials. The developers ‘always considered that the EASE outputs should be regarded as broad estimates, being adapted by experienced occupational hygienists in light of experience and factors not covered by the scope of the model’ (Tickner et al., 2005). EASE was not designed to be an ‘all-singing all-dancing’ exposure prediction model, so we should not be surprised that it does not perform well as a method of predicting individual sampling results (Johnston et al., 2005). It was designed to be an aid to regulatory exposure assessment, to be used by experienced occupational hygienists, where no real exposure data were available. How far the current model meets this aim is discussed in detail in the papers presented. The general opinion seems to be that for inhalation exposure EASE tends either to predict close to the measured values or to over-estimate. The dermal *Tel: +44 151 951 4464; fax: +44 151 951 3595; e-mail: chris.northage@hse.gsi.gov.uk

NATIONS PREPARE TO IMPLEMENT REACH

WHILE IT IS TRUE ALL 25 European Union member countries will face common challenges in making the REACH system work successfully, it is also undeniable that the 10 new members will have to simultaneously address a number of particular difficulties and disadvantages in preparing for and implementing REACH. So observed Martin Seychell, head of the chemicals directorate of the Malta Standards Authority, part of that country's Ministry for Competition & Communications. Seychell was one of the speakers at the Conference on the New European Chemicals Policy within the Enlarged Union, held last month in Vienna. The conference was hosted by the European Commission, the administrative arm of the EU, in cooperation with the Austrian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry Environment & Water Management and the Austrian Environmental Office. It was also promoted by the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC). REACH—the system for Registration, Evaluation & Authorization of Chemicals—is one of the most attention-consu...

Terrestrial Ecotoxicity of Eight Chemicals in a Systematic Approach (7 pp)

Background and Objective Terrestrial ecotoxicity data are required for many research purposes. The data are derived either from the literature or elaborated by own investigations. As the terrestrial toxicity tests are usually time-consuming and labour intensive, the experiments are performed with a limited number of test organisms and soils. In the context of a project sponsored by CEFIC-LRI (European Chemical Industry Council – Long-Range Research Initiative), EC50-values were systematically elaborated for eight chemicals with a wide range of logKow-values (CdCl2, Trinitrotoluene, 3,4-dichloroaniline, 2,4-dichlorophenol, Tributyltinchloride, Pentachlorophenol, Benzo(a)pyrene, p,p-dichloro-2,2-diphenyl-1,1,1-trichloroethane). The substances were selected covering a broad range of physico-chemical and ecotoxicological properties. As toxicity endpoints, microbial activities, plant germination and growth as well as reproduction of earthworms and collembola were determined. As such systematic investigations are rarely performed and for some substances no data existed, the data pool is made available to the scientific community.

CHEMICAL EXECS SET NEW AGENDA

EUROPEAN CHEMICAL INDUSTRY executives gathered at the bracing North Sea resort of Noordwijk in the Netherlands earlier this month for a meeting billed as the Global Chemical Industry European Convention. The event—a combination of the annual meetings of the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) with a board meeting of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA)—gave executives an ideal opportunity to discuss the problems facing the chemical industry and the programs being developed to confront them. Several of these programs come under the aegis of ICCA, including long-range-initiative projects, preparation of dossiers on high-production-volume chemicals, studies on endocrine disrupters, and so on. And on a more general level, executives faced up to growing ownership of chemical companies by financially driven private-equity investors and how this trend might affect participation in the industry's federations and associations. As to that impa...

FINDING THE PEOPLE TO MAKE INDUSTRY WORK

IT SEEMS OBVIOUS: HAVING A HIGHLY skilled workforce is crucial to the success of the But how to ensure a continuing supply of skilled workers is not so obvious. That is why the Network Group of the U.K.'s Chemistry Leadership Council (CLC) tackled the subject in its new report, Skills for the 21st Century Chemicals Industry. And although the report is written for the U.K., it addresses concerns felt throughout the European chemical industry. According to Gareth James, who chairs the skills network, the group's work does not stop with the publication of the report. The report, he notes, has laid out the industry's agenda more clearly—now it needs to be carried forward by the country's chemistry-using industries. The group, he adds, uses that phrase in an effort to create a much wider understanding of the chemical industry's key role in supplying many other We ...

Multinational Diversification and Corporate Performance: Evidence from European Firms

Abstract We investigate the empirical relationship between accounting based measures of performance and the degree of multinational diversification for a set of European chemical industry firms. We find that for these firms, the degree of multinational diversification is strongly related to superior financial performance. The results hold for each of the three sample years. The findings suggest that multinational firms outperform purely domestic and exporting firms. The results provide strong support for gains from multinational diversification. The results indicate that while greater European unification may have eroded potential benefits of exploiting international capital and product market imperfections, the benefits of firm specific economies of scope and scale as well as managerial and financial synergies are still realised through exports.

Business Models in Fine Chemical Engineering

AbstractChemistry and pharmaceutical companies are increasingly awarding assignments for plant planning and construction to external engineering service providers. Both national and international companies with various business models are active in this growth market. A number of variously oriented engineering companies have specialized in the specific demands of planning plants for the production of fine chemicals and active ingredients for pharmaceuticals. Customers as well as the service‐providers themselves ask which companies or company models meet customer needs best in this segment. Which assignment form is the most efficient? Is it an award to a general contractor, possibly with a lump‐sum turnkey assignment? Or is the customer better off with individual planning assignments? A study with focus on the Central European fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries shows: there is no standardized engineering solution. Each business model has specific advantages and disadvantages; as a result, the partners must design their individual model. The respective contract form depends on many components – on product, time and cost pressure and, last not least, on the customer's remaining engineering competence.

CHEMICAL GIANTS REGAIN OPTIMISM

EXECUTIVES WITH THE BIG Three German companies—BASF, Bayer, and Degussa—that dominate the European chemical industry say there finally are glimmerings of recovery for the beleaguered sector. The assessment came in the press conferences held by each of the three firms in mid-March, during which the respective chairmen reported dramatically differing results for 2003. All of them, though, see light at the end of the tunnel. This time, instead of rushing to lengthen the tunnel—which BASF Chairman Jurgen Hambrecht said the natural German tendency—they are cautiously welcoming the light. However, according to Hambrecht, that recovery not spread universally around the world. European business, he said, is not generating growth by itself. The industry showing improvement in growth in Asia and to a lesser extent in the U.S. But in Europe, we see only a very moderate recovery When it comes to our hopes, we have few illusions. At BASF, a fourth ...

FINE CHEMICALS GAIN CLOUT IN EUROPE

IT HAS TAKEN TIME, PERSUASION, AND a lot of work by companies in the business, but specialty chemicals—and fine chemicals in particular—are now officially a part of the power base at the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC). Last June, the board of directors at Brussels-based CEFIC approved a specialties representative on the association's leadership team—essentially its executive management team. And in October, the association approved formation of the European Fine Chemicals Group (EFCG) as part of the specialties grouping. Although these two actions may seem trivial, they represent a considerable shift in thinking in an association long dominated by commodity chemicals. At least that's the way many companies within the fine chemicals and specialized organics fields see the move. Fine chemicals and specialty organics play an increasingly important role in the chemical industries of the various countries in Europe. The lion's share of the Irish chemical industry for example, is fine chemicals, and...

Report of the Workshop on the Validation of QSARs and Other Computational Prediction Models

This workshop addressed current issues with regard to establishing a framework for the validation of quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) and other computational prediction models. QSARs and related models attempt to associate physicochemical and structural properties of compounds to their biological activity. As such, they may permit the prediction of biological activity from chemical structure alone. As yet, no formal validation criteria have been agreed internationally for QSARs and related techniques. However, some general and preliminary criteria were discussed and agreed upon at a European Chemical Industry Council/International Council of Chemical Associations (CEFIC/ICCA) workshop on the regulatory acceptance of QSARs, held in Setubal, Portugal, in March 2002. These criteria were presented at a Fourth World Congress workshop, along with a proposal for the practical validation of computer models, such as QSARs.

Resin producers skip JEC 2004

Unsaturated polyester (UP) resin manufacturers represented by the APME/CEFIC uPES (Association of Plastics Manufacturers in Europe/the European Chemical Industry Council unsaturated polyester resins) group have taken the decision to exhibit every second year at the JEC Composites Show in Paris. This means that key players like Reichhold, DSM, Cray Valley, Ashland, Scott Bader and Lonza (the unsaturated polyester resins part) will be absent from next year's JEC and will next participate in 2005.

EU REGULATORY SCHEME PANNED

GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERhard Schroder spoke out forcefully against European Commission's draft policy on chemical testing and regulation at European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) general assembly meeting, held on June 27 in Hamburg, Germany. The proposed policy, which require explicit government authorization before certain chemicals could be sold in European Union countries, has dominated discussion at almost every European chemicals meeting since it was introduced in form of an EC white paper two years ago. But Schroder's criticism of draft added a highlevel endorsement of industry's cautious response. Schroder argued that the competitiveness of European chemical industry must not be neglected. It is essential for Europe to have a registration system—there is no way for each EU member country to do it differently But current proposal poses too much of a burden on industry. Moreover, he added, legislation as proposed would ...

Toward a New SynthesisErnst Homburg;, Anthony S. Travis;, Harm G. Schröter (Editors). The Chemical Industry in Europe, 1850–1914: Industrial Growth, Pollution, and Professionalization. (Chemists and Chemistry, 17.) viii + 344 pp., illus., tables, index. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998. $155, Nlg 285.

Previous articleNext article No AccessEssay ReviewToward a New Synthesis Chemists and Chemical Industry in Europe Ernst Homburg;, Anthony S. Travis;, Harm G. Schröter (Editors). The Chemical Industry in Europe, 1850–1914: Industrial Growth, Pollution, and Professionalization. (Chemists and Chemistry, 17.) viii + 344 pp., illus., tables, index. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1998. $155, Nlg 285.Roy MacLeodRoy MacLeod*History Department, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia 2006. Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Isis Volume 94, Number 1March 2003 Publication of the History of Science Society Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/376104 Views: 21Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref © 2003 by The History of Science Society. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Jamie Shaw There and back again: Revisiting Vannevar Bush, the linear model, and the freedom of science, Research Policy 51, no.1010 (Dec 2022): 104610.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2022.104610

European chemicals regulation and its effect on innovation: an assessment of the Eu's White Paper on the strategy for a future chemicals policy

AbstractIn February 2001, the European Commission published its White Paper on a Strategy for a Future Chemicals Policy. The publication launched a heated debate on principles, aims, instruments, implementation and management of future chemicals control in the European Communities. The White Paper came in the wake of massive criticism of current chemicals legislation. Various parties involved repeatedly expressed their concern about a tremendous lack of effectiveness. Furthermore, comparisons with other industrialized countries outside the EU indicated that the current regulatory framework actually discourages innovation in the European chemicals industry. This paper examines current European chemicals policy and main elements of the White Paper strategy with a special focus on the impact of chemicals regulation on innovation towards sustainability. The claim that chemicals regulation tends to block innovation is rejected for lack of conclusive proofs. In contrast, the paper reinforces the view that the White Paper strategy is an important step forward towards sustainability in the chemicals sector. However, with the aim to make it pay for companies to pursue environmentally orientated innovation strategies, supporting measures and instruments need to be developed further. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. and ERP Environment

Summary of a workshop on regulatory acceptance of (Q)SARs for human health and environmental endpoints.

The "Workshop on Regulatory Use of (Q)SARs for Human Health and Environmental Endpoints," organized by the European Chemical Industry Council and the International Council of Chemical Associations, gathered more than 60 human health and environmental experts from industry, academia, and regulatory agencies from around the world. They agreed, especially industry and regulatory authorities, that the workshop initiated great potential for the further development and use of predictive models, that is, quantitative structure-activity relationships [(Q)SARs], for chemicals management in a much broader scope than is currently the case. To increase confidence in (Q)SAR predictions and minimization of their misuse, the workshop aimed to develop proposals for guidance and acceptability criteria. The workshop also described the broad outline of a system that would apply that guidance and acceptability criteria to a (Q)SAR when used for chemical management purposes, including priority setting, risk assessment, and classification and labeling.

SEEKING COMMON GROUND

IT WAS AN ALMOST GIDDY ATMOSPHERE at the historic Maison de la Chimie in Paris earlier this month for the first Europe-wide conference between chemical industry employers and employees. Its goal: new stage of dialogue and cooperation on a European level. Some 120 participants representing chemical trade unions, employers' associations, and industry associations came from nearly all European Union member countries as well as from Norway and Switzerland. The conference in Paris followed two national conferences in 2001—one in Berlin and the other in Milan—that were essentially dress rehearsals for the Europe-wide event. The participants were well aware that whatever has an affect on the chemical industry also has a massive impact on Europe, both economically and socially. The European chemical industry ranks first by sales in the world. Chemicals are the largest industry in France, Belgium, and Ireland; the second largest in Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and the U.K.; and the third ...

BEWARE THE EUROWOK, MY SON!

Although ultraviolet (UV)-curable coatings are regarded as the most environment friendly coating systems, several precautionary measures have to be taken during handling and application. On the one hand, this is because of the reactive chemistry of the formulations involved, where the liquid lacquers can be harmful to health because of skin or eye irritation as well as inhalation, while on the other hand, because of the exposure with UV light that is harmful to skin and eyes. The short wavelength UV-C light can form ozone during exposure, which has to be exhausted during the curing process. To facilitate the safe handling and use of UV-curable systems, several organizations are dealing with the compilation of guidelines for labeling, safe handling, and safe application. The RadTech Europe Organization together with the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC), the European Association of Paint and Ink Manufacturers (CEPE), and other organizations, for example, German Berufsgenossenschaft of Printers, have taken a lot of actions.

Utility of a juvenile fathead minnow screening assay for detecting (anti‐)estrogenic substances

The European Chemical Industry's aquatic research program for endocrine disrupters includes the development of an in vivo juvenile fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) screening assay. Working within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD, Paris, France) tiered approach to endocrine disrupter evaluation in fish, the juvenile fish screening protocol was adapted from the OECD test guideline 204. Six chemicals, with different (anti-)estrogenic potencies, were used to develop the in vivo juvenile fish screening protocol: diethylstilbestrol, 17alpha-ethynylestradiol, genistein, methoxychlor, 4-tert-pentylphenol, and ZM189,154 (a novel pharmaceutical antiestrogen). Mixed-sex juvenile fathead minnows were exposed to individual chemicals (with chemical analyzes) and sampled after 4, 7, 14, and 21 d of exposure. Wet weight, total length, condition factor, and whole-body homogenate concentrations of vitellogenin (VTG) were determined. Estrogens and antiestrogens were detected in this screen by virtue of the VTG response (an elevation or suppression, respectively) after 14 d. The study showed that the use of VTG concentrations in mixed-sex juvenile fish provides a sensitive and robust assay for the detection of both estrogenic and antiestrogenic chemicals, with widely divergent potencies.

EUROPE TOASTS EURO

LAST WEEK, THE EURO BEcame cold hard cash, as what had been a notional currency in the European Union for two years made its debut. Small starter kits were sold in some EU countries in late December, but most Europeans got their first coins and bills to spend on Jan. 1. At times, the process of introducing the euro—the new single currency that will be used by 300 million people in most of the EU—has seemed interminable. Companies throughout Europe have kept their books in euros for the past three years. However, for the European chemical industry, the overwhelming reaction has been a yawn. Chemical companies in the so-called euro-zone—the region where the single currency is being adopted—converted all information technology systems, accounting systems, payroll, and the like several years ago. Any savings offered by the conversion—in such areas as reduced currency exchange costs, for example—have long been factored into ...