German chemicals, ministry seal 10-year biomonitoring pact

14 May 2010 16:20  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Germany’s chemical industry trade group VCI and the country’s federal environment ministry (BMU) have agreed a 10-year cooperation pact on human biomonitoring of chemical substances, they said on Friday.

Under a joint programme, industry and ministry would develop over the next decade analytical methods for up to 50 jointly selected substances or substance groups, they said in a joint statement.

In an initial phase, the programme would focus on five substances used as plasticisers, flame retardants, plastic stabilisers and additives in propellants and lubricants.

The initial substances were DINCH (di-isononyl-cyclohexane-1,2-dicarboxylate), DPHP (di-propyl heptyl phthalate), HBCDD (hexabromocyclododecane), 2,2‘,6,6‘-Tetra-tert-butyl-4,4‘-methylendiphenol and dodecylphenol, they said.

VCI would develop detection methods, which the ministry and Germany’s federal environmental agency (UBA) would then subject to testing, they said.

While very costly and work-intensive, human biomonitoring would provide sound scientific data on whether bans or restrictions of substances of concern were justified, they said.

Currently, such decisions all too often rested on models and estimates that easily over- or underestimated health risks, they said.

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By: Stefan Baumgarten
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