Exchange on Exposure Scenarios

As its name indicates, the ENES (Exchange Network on Exposure Scenarios) is a network for experts to share information on how to develop and use techniques and designs related to exposure scenarios. The focus of the sixth and most recent meeting in mid-May 2014 was how to define and better describe related substances along their entire life cycle with the creation of sector use maps. The more detailed the descriptions, the more exact the exposure scenarios can be.

You can download the meeting’s program and all presentation given there at: http://echa.europa.eu/about-us/exchange-network-on-exposure-scenarios

ENES was created a few years ago by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and industry organizations (Cefic, Concawe, Eurometaux, Fecc, A.I.S.E, and DUCC). Its goal is to identify good exemplary practices for the preparation and implementation of exposure scenarios and to foster exchange among the actors involved in the supply chain.

Exposure scenarios are needed for persistent or toxic substances and for those that are bioaccumulative. They are also required for substances that are bought and sold in quantities greater than ten tons. In such cases, the manufacturer or importer must create exposure scenarios and append them as a document to the related safety data sheet. Nonetheless, the REACH regulation does not prescribe an explicit format for the scenarios. The experts hope that the network will provide more transparency and a uniform format.

For more information on ENES, visit: echa_enes@echa.europa.eu.