ECHA publishes the revised Emission Scenario Document for Biocide Product Type 18 (insecticides)
February 10, 2025
In December 2024 the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) published the revised Emission Scenario Document (ESD) for biocidal Product Type 18 (PT18). To ensure compliance, companies will need to update their environmental risk assessments and this may have consequences for supported uses and claims.
PT18 includes insecticides, acaricides and products to control other arthropods for both household and professional use. It will come into force this year (2025), six months after publication for biocidal active substance submissions, and two years after the date of publication for biocidal product submissions, replacing the 2008 OECD Emission Scenario Document.
The revision was initiated due to identified shortcomings in the models presented in the 2008 OECD ESD, which did not represent many common uses. The updated ESD for PT18 introduces significant changes in the approach used, including changes to the way the simultaneity factor is calculated. There are also new scenarios to cover patterns of use not previously included such as the treatment of bed bugs, aircraft disinsection and outdoor large-scale spraying, among others.
These changes have the potential to significantly impact environmental exposure assessments and the outcome of risk assessments for PT18 active substances and products. The new scenarios will also affect product claims, such as use areas or target organisms, which will have consequences for the design and interpretation of efficacy studies.
Applicants and authorisation holders need to ensure the future acceptability and robustness of their environmental risk assessments under this new guidance. If this applies to your company, it is important to review existing and ongoing environmental risk assessments to assess the potential need for the following:
- Higher tier risk assessments
- Risk mitigation measures
- New environmental fate, ecotoxicology or efficacy data
- Amendments to product claims
With extensive experience in environmental risk assessments of biocidal products, TSG is your trusted partner in navigating this new guidance. Our team is ready to assist you with environmental risk assessments, additional data generation, and any training or support your company requires. If you would like to learn more about how we can support you, contact TSG at [email protected], or reach out to your TSG consultant directly.
