(Annex 1 to Reference Number 2002-17,
as updated following OSPAR 2005 and HSC(1) 2006)
1. This web page is intended to inform visitors to the OSPAR web site about the OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern, and its role in OSPAR’s efforts to tackle hazardous substances in the aquatic environment. The "question and answer" format is intended to give readers a quick overview of the list, the criteria used to develop it, and its robustness and status. A contact procedure is given for readers who could provide data and information to improve the list.
What is the status of the List of Substances of Possible Concern?
2. The OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern is a dynamic working list and will be regularly revised, as new information becomes available. This may lead to exclusion of substances present on the current version of the OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern and to inclusion of other substances if data on persistence, toxicity and liability to bioaccumulate (or evidence that they give rise to an equivalent level of concern) show that they should be added. This version of the OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern was last revised on 16 August 2006.
Why has the List of Substances of Possible Concern been published?
3. The OSPAR Commission is publishing this List of Substances of Possible Concern in order to enable the transparency of its decisions on which substances to classify as chemicals for priority action, and to provide an opportunity for any errors or omissions in the data on which those decisions were based to be put right. Our goal is to keep this information up-to-date and accurate. If errors or omissions are brought to our attention, they will be corrected.
What is OSPAR doing to stop pollution by hazardous substances?
4. OSPAR’s main objective for hazardous substances is to prevent pollution of the maritime area by continuously reducing their releases with the ultimate aim of achieving concentrations which are near background levels for those substances which occur naturally (e.g. lead, mercury) or close to zero for man-made substances. OSPAR has developed a strategy (the Strategy with regard to Hazardous Substances) to achieve this objective, and is making every endeavour to move towards the cessation by the year 2020 of discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances which could reach the marine environment.
How are relevant chemicals being identified and targeted?
5. In order to tackle the hazardous substances which are of possible concern to the marine environment, and to prioritise the substances of highest concern for immediate action, OSPAR has developed a selection and prioritisation mechanism. This is described in the publication on the Dynamic Selection and Prioritisation Mechanism for Hazardous Substances (DYNAMEC) as published on the OSPAR web site.
How was the initial selection and prioritisation of these chemicals carried out, and how does the List of Substances of Possible Concern fit into this process?
6. The selection and prioritisation mechanism consisted initially of 3 basic steps:
step 1: an initial selection step which by a worst case screening procedure identifies certain hazardous substances on the basis of their intrinsic hazardous properties of persistence, liability to bioaccumulate and toxicity (P, B and T). Definitions of P, B and T. These have been placed on the "List of Substances of Possible Concern" because they could adversely affect marine ecosystems;
step 2: a step which ranks these substances of possible concern according to their actual occurrence and effects in the marine environment;
step 3: a step which selects those substances from the ranked list judged to require priority action by OSPAR. Current OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action.
Now
that OSPAR has finalised the initial selection and prioritisation of substances,
and taking account of progress within the European Community, what will OSPAR
focus on in the future?
to consider new information on substances already on the List of Substances of Possible Concern;
to consider information on new substances not addressed under relevant EC initiatives and decide whether they should be added to the List of Substances of Possible Concern;
to consider information on substances proposed for addition to the List of Substances of Possible Concern via the Safety net procedure.
OSPAR
will not, for the time being, take any new initiatives for prioritisation and
ranking of substances. Agreement
for Further Work in relation to the DYNAMEC Mechanism (Reference number:
2005-10).
Are persistence, liability to bioaccumulate and toxicity the only criteria for selecting substances?
8. A number of substances which do not meet the full P, B and T criteria have already been added to the List of Substances of Possible Concern because it has been recognised that they give rise to a similar level of concern (for example, endocrine disruptors, or shown to be widely spread in the marine environment by monitoring). The procedures with which OSPAR may add further substances to the list on the basis of equivalent concern are presented in the Guidance on How to Apply the Safety Net Procedure for the Inclusion of Substances in the List of Substances of Possible Concern (Reference number: 2002-10).
How does the List of Chemicals for Priority Action relate to the List of Substances of Possible Concern?
9. The List of Substances of Possible Concern consists of the substances which have been selected on the basis of their intrinsic hazardous properties (step 1). The substances on the List of Chemicals for Priority Action are those which the OSPAR Commission has to date determined require priority action, based primarily on recommendations from DYNAMEC’s ranking process and expert judgement as to which substances represent the highest concern due to the amount produced, the degree of hazardous properties and/or the actual occurrence in the marine environment (steps 2 and 3). As the work of OSPAR progresses, it is envisaged that the List of Chemicals for Priority Action will be further updated with substances from the List of Possible Concern in order that the objectives of the Strategy can be progressively met.
Where does the information about hazardous properties come from, and is it reliable?
10. The substances on the OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern have been identified by a worst case screening of a number of databases with experimental data on P, B and T. However, when experimental data are not available, substances have been identified by employing different models (QSARs: Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships) which estimate these values on the basis of chemical structure. The screening is not exhaustive as not all possible data sources have been available or because of limitations in the models employed. Furthermore, some substances may falsely have been selected due to data errors or outliers.
11. The P, B and T criteria used for the selection of the Substances of Possible Concern are described in the Agreement on Cut-Off Values for the Selection Criteria of the OSPAR Dynamic Selection and Prioritisation Mechanism for Hazardous Substances (Reference number 2005-09).
Is the underlying data used to select substances onto the List of Substances of Possible Concern available?
12. The underlying data used for the selection of the Substances of Possible Concern can be found on the relevant fact sheets.
Have the data on the List of Substances of Possible Concern been validated?
13. Expert judgement has been undertaken for only a part of the substances. Data for most of the substances have only been subjected to a preliminary scrutiny to ensure that they are sufficiently credible to indicate a possible concern. Therefore, there is still considerable room for improvement and confirmation of the data, that were used in a worst case screening procedure, especially if appropriate experimental values are available which may replace QSAR estimates. The extent to which the data for a certain substance has been scrutinised is indicated in the box "remarks" of the fact sheet for that substance.
What steps is OSPAR taking to improve the data?
14. OSPAR is keen to update the list and the fact sheets with more good quality data, and has been working with industry trade associations and OSPAR Contracting Parties to obtain such information. The more the list and the fact sheets become updated and validated with good quality data, the better the list will act as a tool to flag up those substances which are likely to be of concern to the marine environment.
What type of data would be of interest to OSPAR?
15. OSPAR is keen to get more good quality data with regard to the intrinsic properties (P,B and T) of these substances, or other substances with similar properties. However, OSPAR also does need information with regard to the production and use of these substances, and information on their occurrence in the environment.
What happens if new data comes forward on a substance which means that its selection is no longer justified?
16. Following expert review of additional data that has come forward, OSPAR has removed several substances from the list since it was first published. Information on these substances and the reasons for their removal can be found on the List of Substances Removed from the OSPAR List of Substances of Possible Concern (Reference number 2004-13).
17. The fact sheets for the deselected substances have been updated to include information about the reasons for deselection. Following this the fact sheets have been removed from the website and will not be updated any further. They are stored in the database of the OSPAR Secretariat and can be made available upon request to the Secretariat.
What can I do if I have information which might contribute to this process?
18. Visitors to this web site who have information which would enable OSPAR to update its List of Substances of Possible Concern are invited to contact the OSPAR Secretariat who will advise them further regarding the submission of relevant information. An empty fact sheet for the submission of such information and a glossary explaining the content of the fact sheet are available for downloading.
19. The Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to the contents of the list or the supporting data sheets. Efforts have been made to ensure that the information given is as accurate as possible, but it is not necessarily comprehensive, complete, accurate or up-to-date.
20. This disclaimer is not intended to limit the liability of the Commission contrary to any obligations imposed by applicable national law nor to exclude liability for matters which may not be excluded under that law.
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