Grouping strategies for assessing and managing persistent and mobile substances

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Chemical Risk Assessment
• Regulatory Science

Background:

• Persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) or very persistent and very mobile (vPvM) substances pose significant environmental and human health risks due to their recalcitrance and mobility.
• These chemicals, including GenX and perfluorobutane sulfonic acid, are increasingly identified as substances of very high concern (SVHCs).
• The growing number of unassessed PMT/vPvM substances necessitates efficient management strategies to meet the EU's 2050 zero-pollution goal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of substance grouping strategies for the identification, assessment, and management of PMT/vPvM substances.
• To facilitate the early identification of lesser-known or new substances that may meet PMT/vPvM criteria, prompting necessary testing.
• To avoid regrettable substitutions and integrate effective risk management into existing frameworks.

Main Methods:

• Reviewing the definition and criteria for PMT/vPvM substances and existing lists.
• Comparing substance grouping approaches for hazard assessment and regulation, discussing advantages and disadvantages.
• Exploring grouping strategies such as read-across, structural similarity, and commonly retained moieties, with cheminformatics applications for property prediction.

Main Results:

• Substance grouping can accelerate the assessment and management of PMT/vPvM chemicals, particularly those with limited data.
• Read-across methods and cheminformatics tools are crucial for efficient and effective chemical management.
• Grouping strategies aid in preventing the market entry of hazardous chemicals and promoting safer alternatives.

Conclusions:

• Effective substance grouping is vital for accelerating the assessment and management of PMT/vPvM substances, especially data-poor chemicals.
• Advancements in read-across and cheminformatics are essential for robust chemical management.
• These tools support the prevention of hazardous chemical entry into the market and encourage the adoption of sustainable alternatives.