What Is The Ghs Classification 'environmental Hazards' Composed Of?

By Author: Jeff Burns
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What is the GHS classification "Environmental Hazards" composed of?

The third and the last class of the GHS regulation "Environmental Hazards" is composed of one class, Aquatic Environmental Hazard which is divided into the following subcategories:

1. Acute Aquatic Toxicity
2. Potential for or actual Bioaccumulation
3. Degradation (Biotic or Abiotic) for Organic Chemicals, and
4. Chronic Aquatic Toxicity

As stated in the GHS regulation, "While data from internationally harmonized test methods are preferred, in practice, data from national methods may also be used where they are considered as equivalent. In general, it has been agreed that freshwater and marine species toxicity data can be considered as equivalent data and are preferably to be derived using OECD Test Guidelines or equivalent according to the principles of Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). Where such data are not available classification should be based on the best available data.

The aquatic environment may be considered in terms of the aquatic organisms that live in the water, and the aquatic ecosystem of which ...
... they are part. To that extent, the proposal does not address aquatic pollutants for which there may be a need to consider effects beyond the aquatic environment such as the impacts on human health. The basis, therefore, of the identification of hazard is the aquatic toxicity of the substance, although this may be modified by further information on the degradation and bioaccumulation behavior."

As the GHS regulation prepared applies to all substances and mixtures some necessary changes were required, these changes needed to be created to the following substances such as metals, poorly soluble substances and other substances.

The final formulation of the "Environmental Hazards" for substances was finalized into following, consisting of three acute classification categories and four chronic classification categories. The acute and the chronic classification categories are applied independently. The criteria for classification of substance in acute Categories 1 to 3 are defined on the basis of the acute toxicity data only. The criteria for classification of a substance into chronic categories combined two types of information, i.e. acute toxicity data and environmental fate data (degradability and bioaccumulation data). For assignment of mixtures to chronic categories, degradation and bioaccumulation properties are derived from tests on ingredients.
About Author:
Jeff Burns is a writer for Nexreg Compliance Inc., a company that offers GHS services, GHS MSDS consulting and MSDS authoring.