A victory for environmental protection: Cybutryn, better known by its trade name Irgarol®, may no longer be used as the active substance in antifouling products on boat hulls after 27 January 2017. read more
EU Commission declines to authorise antifouling ingredient
New thresholds for carcinogenic PAHs in (baby) toys and more
Since 27 December 2015 consumer goods may no longer exceed a very low content of eight carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). A threshold of 0.5 mg/kg applies for toys and baby items. Other rubber or plastic products such as gardening gloves or mouse pads may contain no more than 1 mg/kg. read more
Plant protection: Less is best and lower-risk
In its 5-point programme of sustainable plant protection the German Environment Agency (UBA) urges rethinking plant protection in agricultural practice. read more
Plant protection products
Chemicals enter the environment every day, but there is hardly a substance group that is used with more purpose and in such large amounts than plant protection products. read more
Background paper “Pharmaceuticals in the Environment”
How do pharmaceuticals get into the environment? Can residues of pharmaceuticals in water and soil harm plants, animals or even human health? What is being done to prevent this, and what can I do? The Federal Environment Agency’s background paper, which is now also available in English, sheds light on these and other questions surrounding the topic of pharmaceuticals in the environment. read more
Chemicals Regulation REACH: companies must make improvements
More than half of the registration dossiers governed by the European REACH Regulation are not compliant with at least one of the seven screened data requirements, for example information on mutagenicity. These are the conclusions of a study carried out by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency (UBA). read more
Chemical brownfields: forest soil is very slow to forget
New interactive map shows old pollutant loads read more
New proposals to promote environmentally sound use of biocides
Biocidal products must be used wisely to avoid harming humans and the environment. UBA has compiled a set of measures how to achieve that goal. read more
