Publication Abstract

The Verification of Laboratory Test results used in support of the OSPAR Harmonised Mandatory Control Scheme (HMCS) for Chemical Registrations in the UK

The Verification of Laboratory Test results used in support of the OSPAR Harmonised Mandatory Control Scheme (HMCS) for Chemical Registrations in the UK

Bob Rowles, Clare Askem, Philippe Bersuder, Denise Doran, Tom Fisher, Rosalinda Gioia, Linda Hughes, Lynn Jones, Mark Kirby, Max La Vedrine, Cheryl Moran, Silke Kroeger, Chris Martin, Alexandra Papachlimitzou, Claire Phillips, Andy Smith, Steve Supple

Cefas registers offshore chemicals for use in the UK and The Netherlands, using test data provided by chemical suppliers on Harmonised Offshore Chemical Notification Format forms (HOCNF). This is used to rank the chemicals based on their environmental hazards, and to apply substitution warnings to those of particular concern. The data are recorded in a database which permits the ready comparison of test results for the same substance, but control of the quality of the data is reliant upon the laboratories working to GLP standards, or equivalent: historically, no independent verification of the test results has been conducted. In order to enable Cefas to increase the scrutiny applied to some of the test data submitted, a laboratory based exercise was initiated during 2012, utilising Cefas’ ecotoxicology and chemistry laboratories (who hold GLP and UKAS accreditation respectively). For a selected number of chemical substances currently present in products registered for use in the UK, the suite of tests used in chemical registration, namely biodegradability, bioaccumulation potential (as predicted from log P_ow) and ecotoxicity were conducted. The results obtained were then compared with those submitted by chemical suppliers during the registration of chemical products that feature the same substances. The significance of the results and the future application of such testing are discussed.

Bob Rowles, Clare Askem, Philippe Bersuder, Denise Doran, Tom Fisher, Rosalinda Gioia, Linda Hughes, Lynn Jones, Mark Kirby, Max La Vedrine, Cheryl Moran, Silke Kroeger, Chris Martin, Alexandra Papachlimitzou, Claire Phillips, Andy Smith, Steve Supple and

Chemistry in the Oil Industry XIII: Oilfield Chemistry Conference, November 2013