The European CLP Regulation as well as the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) only provide criteria for aquatic toxicity with regard to environmental hazards. Legal requirements for the use of terrestrial toxicity data are missing, although data from substance regulations (pesticides, pharmaceuticals, biocides or REACH chemicals) are available. The goal was to develop data-based proposals for possible criteria for soil organisms. In the project, available toxicity data for soil organisms were compiled and analyzed in a comprehensive database. Based on the toxicity distributions for different organisms, sensitive toxicity ranges for organism groups were identified using various statistical methods and possible criteria and categories were defined. Substances falling into the defined categories were identified and compared to existing aquatic classifications to highlight potential consequences and benefits. The findings and analyses provide an important contribution to support current processes to develop toxicity criteria for the terrestrial environmental compartment and implement them in regulations and guidance documents. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 105/2022.
This scientific opinion paper outlines existing problems related to data gaps, non-harmonized assessments, insufficient post-market control, and data transparency of pharmaceuticals, and identifies possible solutions through the introduction of a monograph system for active pharmaceutical substances. From UBA 's point of view, monographs are the crucial bridge between risk assessment, risk communication and risk management and this across different regulatory areas. The current revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation of the EU offers the opportunity to establish a monograph system for active substances for both veterinary medicinal products and medicinal products for human use. Veröffentlicht in Scientific Opinion Paper.
Over the last twenty-five years it has become evident that exposure to several phthalates can have adverse effects on human health, such as endocrine disruption. This led to a series of EU regulations that resulted in a decrease in the production volumes of the restricted phthalates and an increased production of substitutes. The current study describes the impact of regulations and changes in production and use of phthalates and their substitutes on internal exposure patterns in two European populations since the beginning of the 2000'ies. Using harmonised data from young adults in Denmark (Danish Young Men Study, n = 1,063, spot urine) and Germany (Environmental Specimen Bank, n = 878, 24-h urine) with repeated cross-sectional design (3-11 cycles per biomarker) we applied Locally Estimated Scatterplot Smoothing (LOESS) and Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) to estimate time trends and the role of covariates on the trend (e.g. age, BMI). Time trends of daily excretion (mikrog/24h) are comparable between the two samples for the regulated (DEHP, BBzP, DiNP, DnBP, DiBP, DiDP/DPHP) as well as the non-regulated substances (DMP, DEP, DINCH, DEHTP) although the rate of change differ for some of the compounds. GLM results indicate that the daily excretion of the most regulated phthalates has decreased over time (DEHP yearly about 12-16%, BBzP 5%, DnBP 0.3-17%, and DiBP 4-12%). Interestingly, also the non-regulated phthalates DMP and DEP decreased by 6-18% per year. In sharp contrast, the phthalate substitutes DINCH and DEHTP show very steep annual increases (~10-68% and ~100%, respectively) between 2009 and 2017. We did not find an effect of age, sex, BMI, or education on the time trend. The present study provides comparable insights into how exposure to phthalates and two of their substitutes have changed over the last two decades in Germany and Denmark. © 2022 The Authors
The use of veterinary drugs is of similar importance to that of human drugs in addressing health challenges. In this context, pharmaceuticals and their metabolites inevitably enter soil and water in unknown quantities. Therefore, this study collects and analyzes drug data from 2020 for 50 dairy farms located in Germany. The most frequently used substance group is antibiotics (40.13%), followed by antiphlogistics (18.86%), antiparasitics (13.09%) and hormones (9.29%). Treatment frequencies record the number of days per year on which an average animal on a farm was treated with a substance. The calculated values range from 0.94 to 21.69 d per year and are distributed heterogeneously across farms. In this study, on average, a cow was treated on 6 d in 2020: 2.34 d with antibiotics, 1.07 d with antiphlogistics, 0.76 d with antiparasitics, and 0.41 d with hormones. In addition to individual farm management, other factors are related to treatment frequency. Farms with a veterinary care contract used more hormonal substances than farms without a care contract. In addition, higher milk yield coincides with more frequent treatments with antiphlogistic or hormonal substances. Other related factors include grazing, longevity, farm size, and use of a claw bath. Our study represents an important first step in describing the amount and determinants of veterinary drugs used in livestock farming. Such insights on magnitudes and farm parameters are essential to estimate potential environmental impacts and to derive strategies to reduce veterinary drug use. © TBC, The Authors
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are mutualistic symbionts considered a key group in soil systems involved in the provision of several ecosystem services. Recently they have been listed by EFSA as organisms to be included in the test battery for the risk assessment of plant protection product (PPPs). This study aimed to contribute to improve the ISO Protocol (ISO 10832: 2009) by assessing the feasibility of using other AMF species under different test conditions. Overall, results showed that AMF species Gigaspora albida and Rhizophagus clarus (selected out of five AMF species) are suitable to be used in spore germination tests using the ISO protocol (14 days incubation with sand or artificial soil as substrate) to test PPPs. However, several modifications to the protocol were made in order to accommodate the use of the tested isolates, namely the incubation temperature (28†˚C instead of 24†˚C) and the change of reference substance (boric acid instead of cadmium nitrate). The need for these changes, plus the results obtained with the three fungicides tested (chlorothalonil, mancozeb and metalaxyl-M) and comparisons made with literature on the relevance of the origin of AMF isolates in dictating the adequate test conditions, emphasize the importance of adjusting test conditions (AMF species/isolates and test temperature) when assessing effects for prospective risk assessment targeting different climatic zones. So, further studies should be conducted with different AMF species and isolates from different climatic regions, in order to better define which species/isolate and test conditions should be used to assess effects of a particular PPP targeting a given climatic zone. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Each issue of the German Environment Agency's "What Matters" magazine is devoted to relevant topics in the field of environmental protection. It is published every six months. In its 1-2020 issue, UBA looks at chemicals with the abbreviation PFAS : per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances. These chemicals are used in many applications for their water, grease and soil-repellent function. Coffee-to-go cups, for example, can be coated with PFAS, just like water-repellent outdoor textiles. These chemicals are also contained in fire-fighting foams. There are a total of 4,700 different substances, the effects of which on humans and the environment are largely unresearched. PFAS are very durable and mobile. They are distributed across the globe by wind and water and accumulate in water, soil and living organisms - including humans. The What Matters magazine looks at these questions: What exactly are PFAS? How are they used? How do they get into the environment? And what can be done about the substances? Veröffentlicht in Broschüren.
Useful or harmful? A substance with many facets The element nitrogen is essential for all life on earth. In order to act as a building block of life however, it must form chemical compounds with other elements and thus be converted into its reactive state. Despite being the principle component of our atmosphere, molecular atmospheric nitrogen cannot be used directly by most living organisms. How the modern circular economy works The growing level of global consumption requires us to rethink how we deal with natural resources. A circular economy – one which fully integrates all aspects ranging from product design, sustainable production methods and patterns of consumption to recycling – makes significant contributions to resource conservation. The (energy) transition in the transport sector The transport sector, especially road transport, is responsible for around 18 percent of German greenhouse gases – and is, unfortunately, the only area that has not been able to reduce its emissions since 1990. To change this situation, a large part of the traffic must be avoided in the first place and low-emission modes must become more widely implemented. In addition, we need a significantly more climate-friendly energy supply for the traffic. Veröffentlicht in Broschüren.
This paper relates to the assessment of transformation products (i.e. metabolites, degradation or reaction products), which are formed from plant protection products. It addresses a detail in Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009 which is not in line with other substance regulations for REACH , medicinal products, and biocides. Our concern: Also transformation products can be hazardous substances. Meanwhile, they are not yet covered within the POP / PBT /vPvB assessment and the approval criteria for active substances. Our proposal: At least transformation products occurring in a relevant amount should be included in the assessment and the approval criteria in the same way as active substances. Veröffentlicht in Scientific Opinion Paper.
This evaluation of air quality in Germany in the year 2017 is based on preliminary data which has not yet been conclusively audited from the air monitoring networks of the federal states and the UBA , valid on 23rd January 2018. Due to the comprehensive quality assurance within the monitoring networks, the final data will only be available in mid-2018. The currently available data allows for a general assessment of the past year. The following pollutants were subject to consideration: particulate matter ( PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), since, the limit and target values for the protection of human health are still exceeded for such substances. Veröffentlicht in Hintergrundpapier.
This evaluation of air quality in Germany in the year 2016 is based on preliminary data which has not yet been conclusively audited from the air monitoring networks of the federal states and the UBA , valid on 23rd January 2017. Due to the comprehensive quality assurance within the monitoring networks, the final data will only be available in mid-2017. The currently available data allows for a general assessment of the past year. The following pollutants were subject to consideration: particulate matter ( PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), since, the limit and target values for the protection of human health are still exceeded for such substances. Veröffentlicht in Hintergrundpapier.
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