Publications

The subject of this project was the preparation of substance reports for five substances relevant for building products emissions. For these substances, the toxicological data basis was compiled and evaluated, and EU-LCI values were proposed. The EU-LCI values allow the harmonisation of the health assessment of building products emissions throughout Europe.

In the environmental risk assessment of plant protection products, the risk of spray drift losses to the off-field can be reduced by adding drift reduction measures. The question is how the combination of several measures affects the overall risk and, in particular, the associated uncertainty.

The report presents a study on the environmental behaviour of melamine (CAS: 108-78-1), investigated in adsorption and desorption experiments with five different soils.

The report presents a study on the environmental behaviour of three benzotriazoles – 1H-benzotriazole (CAS 95-14-7), 4-methylbenzotriazole (CAS 29878-31-7), and 5-methylbenzotriazole (CAS 136-85-6) – investigated in adsorption and desorption experiments with five different soils.

Das Bewertungskonzept beschreibt die Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung von Stoffen mit der Online-Anwendung ChemSelect des Umweltbundesamtes. Die Bewertungskriterien betreffen u.a. Human- und Umwelttoxizität, Exposition von Beschäftigten Verbraucher*innen und Umwelt, Klima- und Ozonschädlichkeit, Ressourcenverbrauch, Kreislauffähigkeit und Verantwortung in der Lieferkette.

Biocides, commonly used in building materials, are released through precipitation and can contaminate the groundwater. The study evaluates the transport of biocides through urban pathways — vegetated soils, permeable pavements, and infiltration systems — and gives recommendations for refining the European Emission Scenario Documents (ESD).

The German Environment Agency has conducted tests to determine the ecotoxicity of TNT and its metabolites 2-ADNT and 4-ADNT, as well as other munition compounds (1,3-DNB and 2,6-DNT) by using two marine diatom species (Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Skeletonema marinoi) in accordance with DIN EN ISO 10253 (2016) and derived effect concentrations on this basis.

The REACH Regulation (EC 1907/2006) ensures chemical safety by requiring rigorous risk assessments before market entry. Safety data sheets (SDS) are vital for communicating safe usage guidelines, yet deficiencies are common, with up to 52% of SDSs found to be inadequate.

The UBA aims to contribute to the development of an EU guidance document on risk assessment for amphibians. As part of the project, data on the toxicity of various pesticides to amphibians were systematically researched, processed, and supplemented with its own experiments to establish a scientific basis for risk assessment.

There is already more than a decade of experiences with environmental risk assessment under the Biocidal Products Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 (BPR). This paper compiles recommendations to improve BPR to ensure that it reaches its goals.

Plant protection products (PPPs) can be transported from the target area to other environmental compartments, e.g. groundwater. To minimize potential negative impacts, their environmental fate is assessed as part of the PPPs authorization process.

Per- und polyfluorierte alkylierte Substanzen (PFAS) sind eine Stoffgruppe mit vielen nützlichen Eigenschaften in Produkten, aber auch problematischem Verhalten in der Umwelt. Das Umweltmonitoring stellt eine große Herausforderung dar, da die Einzelstoffanalytik von PFAS sehr zeit- und kostenintensiv ist und viele organische Fluorverbindungen trotzdem unerkannt bleiben.