New PRIO

The priority guide PRIO got a new look and also changed its name to PRIO - a tool for substitution at the new launch of the tool in October 2020. The content is about the same as before, but the new PRIO has been expanded with additional criteria, which means a doubling of the number of hazardous substances in the database, from around 5,000 to just over 10,000 substances. A contributing reason for this is that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, are now included in the group of Phase-out substances. The search function has also been improved, some new functions have been added and the reference list has been updated.

What changes were made prior to the relaunch of PRIO?

New criteria for Phase-out substances

Strongly allergenic – new

Classification Respiratory sensitising in Category 1 or skin sensitising in Category 1A in accordance with CLP-Regulation. (Resp. Sens 1, H334: May cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled. Skin Sens. 1A, H317: May cause an allergic skin reaction.)

PFAS, Particularly persistent substances – new

Due to their extreme persistence, PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have comparable hazardous properties to those of particularly hazardous substances defined in Sweden's environmental quality objective A Non-Toxic Environment.

Fluorinated greenhouse gases – new

Synthetically produced fluorinated gases (F-gases) are potent greenhouse gases and contribute to global warming. F-gases have been used to replace substances that can deplete the ozone layer. The Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, adopted in 2017, involves a joint global phasing out of fluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6).

New or changed criteria for Priority risk-reduction substances

Cancerogenic, Category 2 – new

Classification Carcinogenicity in Category 2 in accordance with CLP-Regulation. (Carc. 2, H351: Suspected of causing cancer.)

Toxic to reproduction, Category 2 - new

Classification Reproductive toxicity in Category 2 or additional Category for effects on or through breast-feeding in accordance with CLP- Regulation. (Repr. 2, H361: Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child. Lact. H362: May cause harm to breast-fed children.)

Allergenic - the requirements of the criterion have changed

Classification skin sensitising in Category 1 or 1B in accordance with CLP- Regulation. (Skin Sens. 1/1B, H317: May cause an allergic skin reaction.)

Specific organ toxicity after repeated exposure – new name but same requirements

This criterion was previously called “High chronic toxicity”.

Classification Specific organ toxicity after repeated exposure in Category 1 in accordance with CLP- Regulation. (STOT RE 1, H372: Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.)

New functions

• You can export your search result or the entire PRIO database to Excel.

New search functions

• Under Advanced Search, it is now possible to search on material (amongst 11 main categories) and obtain information about the potential presence of PRIO substances in the material. In this way you can gain knowledge about the presence of hazardous substances in various materials and articles, which is an important part of the substitution work. Information on the indicated occurrence of substances has been added from selected sources. Work on adding more data to cover more PRIO substances that may be present in materials is an ongoing development work.
  
• In the new PRIO, there is a Batch search function with the possibility to search for several substances' CAS Number at the same time. The numbers can be entered one after the other in a row separated by spaces or commas, or alternatively copied numbers can be pasted directly into the search function. CAS Number can also be copied directly from a column or row in an Excel document, for example from a list of chemicals, and pasted into the search field for a Batch search.
  
• Another novelty is the possibility to do a search at Priority level. This means that it is possible to limit one's search to contain for instance phase-out substances only.
  

Improved display of search results

• The search result shows (where there is data) the substances' indicated connection or association to a material or subcategory to a material.
  
• The new PRIO allows you to sort search results. You can sort in descending or ascending order by chemical name, CAS Number, EC Number, priority level or criteria.
  
• You can also narrow down an existing search result by adding further search parameters and pressing "Search" again.