PRIO criteria for phase-out substances and priority risk-reduction substances

Content:

All substances in the PRIO database have been assigned a priority level based on the most hazardous inherent properties of each substance, at the phase-out substance level or at the priority risk-reduction substance level. There are criteria for assessing whether a substance meets one or more properties for phase-out or priority risk reduction substances.

Substances that possess the most severe hazardous properties for human health and the environment are called phase-out substances in PRIO and should be prioritised for substitution. Phase-out substances are substances that may be identified as a substances of very high concern (SVHC) and may therefore gradually be subject to authorisation the EU chemicals legislation REACH. Some of the phase-out substances are already banned or restricted in certain uses.

The following generally applies to phase-out substances:

• It is a substance with particularly hazardous properties.
• The use of particularly hazardous substances shall as far as possible cease according to the quality objective A Non-Toxic Environment which is part of Swedish environmental quality objectives.
• In the EU legislation REACH, such substances may be identified as SVHC and gradually be subject to authorisation.
• Some of these substances are already banned in various uses.
  
• Pesticides are exempted if they are approved (or under approval) as active substances for use in other legislation within the EU (EU Biocidal Products Regulation No. 528/2012 or EU Plant Protection Products Regulation No. 1107/2009)
• Substances within the group complex hydrocarbons are exempted if the concentration of e.g. benzene or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) falls below the limit value for the substances to be classified as CMR category 1 according to the CLP Regulation (EU) No 1272/2008. Read more about properties of the phase-out substances

Criteria for phase-out substances

To determine whether a substance meets the criteria, a comparison is made against these based on available information that is relevant to determine whether the substance poses an environmental or health hazard. The information can, for example, consist of data from epidemiological studies, animal tests (in vivo), non-animal tests (in vitro/in chemico), computer modelling (QSAR) (in silico) or come from reading information from similar subjects (read-across).

Substances with a little less hazardous properties for human helath and the environment compared to the phase-out substances, or for those substances where the data is not sufficient to assess it as a phase-out substance, are called priority risk-reduction substance and have been assigned the lower level of prioritisation in PRIO.

Priority risk-reduction substances have hazardous properties. To assess the risk, you should review how the substance is used and understand and assess how large the exposure is. Based on your assessment, you may consider substitution. For some priority risk reduction substances, certain uses may already be banned.

For priority risk-reduction substances, the following generally applies:

• This is a substance with hazardous properties. Review the use and routes of exposure to the substance to assess the risk! Consider substitution!
• Some of these substances are already banned in various uses.
• According to the Swedish environmental quality objective A Non-Toxic Environment, the total exposure to chemical substances through all routes of exposure must not be harmful to humans or biological diversity.

Read more about properties of the priority risk-reduction substances

Criteria for priority risk-reduction substances

To determine whether a substance meets the criteria, a comparison is made against these based on available information that is relevant to determine whether the substance poses an environmental or health hazard. The information can, for example, consist of data from epidemiological studies, animal tests (in vivo), non-animal tests (in vitro/in chemico), computer modelling (QSAR) (in silico) or come from reading information from similar subjects (read-across).