Cefic Long-Range Research Initiative (LRI) and the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) contributed to the development of a new Persistence Assessment Tool launched by Ricardo, a global environmental and engineering consulting company. This software-based tool aims to assist manufacturers, importers of chemical substances and products, regulators, and the scientific community in undertaking complex persistence assessments of chemicals in the environment.
Increased awareness of issues related to chemical persistence, such as global plastic pollution and the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has led to numerous global policy initiatives. The European Union’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability, for instance, has proposed new measures for persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) substances, which include requirements for carrying out persistence assessments under the classification, labelling and packaging (CLP) regulation.
The Persistence Assessment Tool provides a clear methodology for capturing and storing information on persistence, evaluating data quality, and assessing persistence in line with global regulatory frameworks. It addresses the challenges faced by the global chemicals industry in meeting regulatory measures and provides a structured approach for assessing persistence.
The tool is available for download on the Ricardo website and is funded by , a division of the European Fuel Manufacturers Association, and the International Collaboration on Cosmetics Safety (ICCS).
The tool is available for download here.