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This project (KoL 12-08) was performed for the Climate and Air Quality Group (KlimaogLuftgruppen, KoL), Nordic Council of Ministers by atmospheric emission, exposureand epidemiology experts from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Emission inventory methods and exposure models were presented. A list of carcinogenic andco-carcinogenic pollutants (particles, heavy metals and organic compounds) emittedfrom energy production, industrial activities, road transport, navigation, agriculture, residential heating and product use was compiled. Pollutant emissions levels for 2010and trends for 1990 to 2010 were compiled and discussed, and modelled andmeasured atmospheric concentrations for 2010 were compiled on regional, urbanand local scales. Nordic maps of emissions and air concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, NOx,NMVOC, benzene, BaP, dioxin, cadmium and nickel were compiled for allaggregated main sources, traffic and residential wood combustion. An overview of local studies on exposure for cities or communities with emphasis on wood combustion and traffic and a discussion of existing epidemiological studies on cancer and environment were given.

Природные ресурсы Баренцева региона имеют стратегически важное значение для Европы. Горная промышленность – одна из наиболее интенсивно развивающихся в регионе отраслей экономики, которая создает здесь новые возможности, но одновременно вызывает также изменения в окружающей среде. В апреле 2013 года в г. Рованиеми, Финляндия, состоялась Конференция по наилучшим экологическим практикам в горной промышленности Баренцева региона. Цель Конференции заключалась в изучении экологических вопросов, связанных с горнодо бывающим сектором, и оказании содействия внедрению наилучших экологических практик на горнодобывающих предприятиях Баренцева региона. В основные задачи Конференции входило повышение уровня информированности об экологических вызовах, стоящих перед отраслью, и обмен информацией по вопросам оценки социальных и экологических проблем и управления ими. Данные материалы Конференции включают Концептуальную записку по общим проблемам и тезисы докладов участников. Sprogversioner: Best Environmental Practices in the Mining Sector in the Barents Region

The natural resources of the Barents Region are of strategic importance for Europe. One intensively developing sector is mining, which will bring new opportunities to the region, but which will also cause changes in the environment. The Conference on Best Environmental Practices in the Mining Sector in the Barents Region was held in Rovaniemi in April 2013. The Conference targeted the environmental issues connected to the mining sector and promoted best environmental practices for mines in the Barents Region. The overall goal for the Conference was to increase awareness of the challenges in the mining sector and to exchange information on assessing and managing social and environmental concerns. These Conference proceedings present the Concept Note on Common Challenges of the Conference and the abstracts of the presentations.

This report provides guidance how to test efficacy of articles or material treated with biocides. There are two major groups: The first where the treatment is intended to protect the article itself. To prove efficacy, the material/article has to be tested against an untreated variant. In the second group, the treatment is intended to introduce new properties, e.g. to provide hygienic or insect repellency-functions. The problem which the treatment is intended to solve needs to be shown on the untreated article under normal conditions of use. This way, the benefit of the treatment can be shown.

This Tema Nord report presents a study based on open information and custom market research to review the most common perfluorinated substances (PFC) with less focus on PFOS and PFOA.The study includes three major parts:1) Identification of relevant per-and polyfluorinated substances and their use in various industrial sectors in the Nordic market by interviews with major players and database information2) Emissions to and occurence in the Nordic environment of the substances described in 1)3) A summary of knowledge of the toxic effects on humans and the environment of substances prioritized in 2)There is a lack of physical chemical data, analystical reference substances, human and environmental occurrence and toxicology data, as well as market information regarding PFCs other than PFOA and PFOS and the current legislation cannot enforce disclosure of specific PFC substance information.

This report provides a thorough analysis concerning the situation in Tirupur, India, where the local government has imposed strict requirements on zero liquid discharge of wastewater in textile production. The report analyzes how Tirupur can turn the Zero Liquid Discharge requirements into a competitive advantage by creating a green textile cluster based on the European Eco-label Flower and ISO 14001. The report also includes an analysis of the demand situation for environmentally certified textile in the Nordic countries and how this demand can be affected positively.

Nordic Ministers of Environment adopted in March 2012 the “Svalbard Declaration” with decisions to reduce the negative impacts of the climate changes and air pollution caused by the emission of the so-called Short-lived Climate Forcers (SLCFs) such as black carbon (soot) and methane. Along with CO2, they are the main reasons why the ice in the Arctic now is melting rapidly. At a workshop organised by the Nordic Group on Climate and Air Quality in June 2012 researchers and policy-makers discussed the recent scientific findings, the national experiences with emission inventories, identification of cost-effective measures to cut emissions and the drawing up of national action plans as well as the development in the field of international co-operation on SLCFs.The report presents policy recommendations, conclusions and recommendations on scientific research and monitoring.

This report constitutes part of the larger project Eco-design and Future Product Policy – Further research on Energyrelated Products. The objective was to investigate how nine policy instruments affect the development and environmental performance of household washing machines. The following policy instruments are investigated: 1. The Eco-design Directive2. The EU energy label Directive3. The WEEE Directive4. The RoHS Directive5. The REACH Regulation6. The EU Ecolabel Regulation7. The Nordic Swan8. Green Public Procurements (GPP)9. Voluntary Environmental Agreements (VA)

Tilsynsmyndighetene for kjemikalier i Danmark, Sverige, Finland og Norge har gjennomført et felles tilsynsprosjekt i 2012-2013. Hovedformålet med prosjektet har vært å kontrollere om nordiske importører, produsenter og distributører av kjemikalier etterlever det nye klassifiserings- og merkingsregelverket CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) som trådte i kraft i 2010. Prosjektet omfattet også kontroll av klassifisering og merking i sikkerhetsdatabladene og at sikkerhetsdatabladene følger de nye kravene i vedlegg II til REACH (forordning (EU) nr. 453/2010). Det ble også kontrollert om virksomhetene hadde overholdt meldeplikten for kjemiske stoffer til det europeiske kjemikaliebyrået (ECHA). Rapporten gir en oversikt over gjennomføringen av prosjektet og lovgivningen for kjemikalier i EU/EØS området. Resultater og konklusjoner er beskrevet bå de for hver enkelt land og samlet.

Environmentally sound disposal of Ozone Depleting Substances is increasingly recognized as an important issue in terms of both the protection of the ozone layer and the effect on climate change. However, there is only a limited overview in the Nordic countries of product groups containing Ozone Depleting Substances, regulation of the substances, available treatment technologies, and waste infrastructure etc. This report provides an overview of the waste treatment and regulation of Ozone Depleting Substances in the Nordic countries. The report identifies gaps, proposes solutions and provides recommendations for relevant Nordic efforts within the area. The report has been prepared by PlanMiljø ApS (Denmark) for the Nordic Ozone Group. The report has been financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers, through the Nordic Chemical Group and the Nordic Waste Group.

The application of pharmaceuticals and personal care products is substantial in industrialized and high-income north-western European societies. Faroe Island, Iceland and Greenland are part of this modern society, although some areas are more suffused by technology and modern living than others. This also pertains to the standards of the local solutions for waste water treatment systems, but not so much to the health services. The present report summarises the results of screening analyses of pharmaceuticals and additives in personal care products in presumed hotspots in Faroe Islands, Iceland and Greenland. The study focuses on sewage lines from households and industry in general, and from hospitals. In all 38 pharmaceuticals or metabolites of pharmaceuticals and 7 personal care products were analysed.

24-26 June 2013, 130 leading international policy makers, scientists, experts and others met at an international workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden, in order to discuss and outline future directions in air pollution science and policy. The workshop, which was organised in close collaboration with the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution and the European Commission, involved several themes such as linkages to climate change including SLCP, nitrogen, global governance and effects to health and environment. The output is a series of recommendations for further actions with respect to effects to health, ecosystems and near-term climate actions. Recommendations were also given with respect to heavy metals and POPs. The recommendations are directed towards several international organisations and initiatives such as CLRTAP, European Commission, Climate and Clean Air Coalition and the Arctic Council.

Bruk och förvaltning av de nordiska havsområdena – i dag och i morgon Resultat och rekommendationer från en workshop om havsplanering, Tórshavn, Färöarna, 14-16 november 2011

Tilsynsmyndighederne på kemikalieområdet i de nordiske lande har gennemført et fælles tilsynsprojekt om poolkemikalier i 2009. Ved poolkemikalier forstås produkter til rensning, regulering og hygiejneformål i forhold til kvaliteten af badevandet i pools. Hovedformålet med projektet har været at kontrollere om importører og producenter af poolkemikalier i Norden overholder kemikaliereglerne, som omfatter reglerne for markedsføring af biocid- og rengøringsmidler og klassificering og mærkning af farlige kemiske produkter. Rapporten beskriver relevant lovgivning og problemområder vedrørende sundheds- og miljøfarer for de kontrollerede produkter. Resultaterne fra landenes inspektioner samt vurdering og tolkning af de fundne overtrædelser er opsummeret for hvert enkelt land. Projektet munder ud i en række anbefalinger til virksomheder og forbrugere i forhold til markedsføring og anvendelsen af poolkemikalier.

The purpose of this pilot project is to investigate the relationship between the implementation of classification and labelling of chemical substances and their use. The system that has been examined is the EU legislation for classification and labelling of chemical substances and mixtures. The focus lies on substances with harmonised classification at European Union (EU) Community level as dangerous for the environment which by themselves or in a mixture above a certain concentration limit lead to classification and labelling with the symbol “Fish and tree” and the indication of danger Dangerous for the environment (N). Other effects were also included to some extent. EU Environmental hazard classification has been conducted since the mid 1990s and from the early first decade of the 21st century for chemical substances and mixtures. Now, almost 20 years after the first criteria were implemented it is interesting to look back and see whether this classification has had an impact on the use of these substances.

The Nordic NanoNet Workshop and EDC discussion was organised in October 2011 in Espoo, Finland as part of the 2011 Finnish chairmanship of the Nordic Council of Ministers (NMR). The workshop focused on the safety assessment and management of nanomaterials (NMs) while reflecting on experiences in regulating endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This report describes the presentations, break-out group discussions and conclusions of the meeting. The regulatory frameworks and links between NMs and EDCs as well as the applicability of test guidelines and risk assessment tools for nanomaterials were addressed in presentations and break-out group work. Regulatory possibilities were further considered in a panel-led discussion. The Nordic dimension was of special interest: strengthening of Nordic regulatory cooperation in the field of nanosafety gained support, while commencing a TG/GD project in the OECD test guideline programme was seen a concrete idea for future cooperation.

Default values are often used in exposure assessments e.g. in modelling because of lack of actually measured data. The quality of the exposure assessment outcome is therefore heavily dependent on the validity and representativeness this input data. Today the used default factors consist of a wide range of more or less well-documented values originating from many different sources. The purpose of this report is to give an overview and to evaluate exposure factors that are currently used by the authorities and industry in the exposure assessments for both adults (occupational and consumer exposure) and children in relation to REACH. Another important purpose of the report is to contribute towards a further harmonisation of exposure factors by giving recommendations of most valid and representative defaults. These recommendations can be used besides REACH also in biocide's and plant protection product's exposure assessments. The exposure default values were collected from the relevant European sources (ECHA, Consexpo, EUSES, Biocide TNsG, ECETOC, ExpoFacts) as well as from WHO and US-EPA. The following key default factors selected to the evaluation: body weight, body surface area, inhalation rate, soil and dust ingestion, drinking water, food intake, non-dietary ingestion factors, lifetime expectancy, activity factors and consumer products

This report illustrates the consequences for hazardous waste classification in the Nordic countries by introducing leaching criteria (Criterion H15). Data on secondary aggregates and waste were compared to the proposed H15 criterion and the amounts of waste exceeding the criteria were evaluated. The quality of leaching data and waste statistics varies considerably between countries and waste types. Therefore it is not possible to give a precise estimate of how much waste would have to be classified as hazardous waste if the proposed leaching criteria were introduced. However, the collected data indicated that the amount of contaminated soil, municipal waste incineration bottom ash, fly ash (both coal fly ash and bio fly ash) and metallurgical slag classified as hazardous could be expected to increase substantially if leaching criteria were introduced. The proposed H15 criteria have been developed specifically for protection of groundwater under landfill conditions, based on certain, specified assumptions and scenarios and did not address hazardousness or environmental impacts in general. The leaching test methods used are not equally suitable for all materials e.g. mining waste, and their applicability depends on a number of prerequisites including sample pre-treatment which can have a significant effect on the results. Such general use of leaching criteria and test methods developed for other purposes could lead to non-harmonised and erroneous classification.

Marine mammals hold a special position in the hearts of people inhabiting Nordic Arctic areas and in coastal communities around the North Atlantic Ocean as they are an essential part of the diet and traditional life-style. However, marine mammals are in a particularly vulnerable position as regards environmental pollutants, because of the large fat stores in their bodies which serve as a “magnet” to a large number of persistent and toxic pollutants. A Nordic Council of Ministers supported collaboration between Norway, Denmark/Greenland, Faroe Island, Iceland and Sweden set out to look for possible trends in “new” contaminants in marine mammals in Nordic Arctic waters. The “new” contaminants in focus are the brominated flame retardants including the PBDEs, methoxylated PBDEs, perfluorinated compounds including the PFOS family, and polychlorinated naphthalenes. In addition, a subset of the samples was analysed for brominated dioxins and dibenzofurans. The marine mammals studied were fin whale, minke whale, pilot whale, white-sided dolphins, harbour porpoise, ringed seal and hooded seal. The study aims at giving a wide scope of the presence of these ”new” contaminants in marine mammals in recent time and going back to the 1980s using samples from specimen banks.

During the 2010 Danish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers environment and health was a prioritized subject. The aim was enhanced Nordic information exchange. To support this aim a number of Nordic workshops were held to strengthen the capacity building and discuss future regulatory aspects in the area of endocrine disruptors, combination effects, and soft regulatory measures and effective risk communication. One of the workshops held in November focused on combination effects, with a special focus on endocrine disruptors. This report describes the workshop presentations, the ensuing discussions, and the outcome.

During the 2010 Danish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers environment and health was a prioritized subject. The aim was enhanced Nordic information exchange. To support this aim a number of Nordic workshops were held to strengthen the capacity building and discuss future regulatory aspects in the area of endocrine disruptors, combination effects, and soft regulatory measures and effective risk communication. One of the workshops held in November focused on developing criteria for endocrine disruptors. This report describes the workshop presentations, the ensuing discussions, and the outcome.

During the 2010 Danish Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers environment and health was a prioritized subject. The aim was enhanced Nordic information exchange. To support this aim a number of Nordic workshops were held to strengthen the capacity building and discuss future regulatory aspects in the area of endocrine disruptors, combination effects, and soft regulatory measures and effective risk communication. One of the workshops held in November focused on soft regulatory measures to reduce the exposure of sensitive population groups to chemicals, with a special focus on endocrine disruptors. This report describes the workshop presentations, the ensuing discussions, and the outcome.

The present report describe the results of screening analyses of the occurrence of ”new” brominated flame retardants (BFRs) in environmental samples from the Nordic countries. The aim of the screening was to establish whether, and if then to what extent, the non-polybrominated diphenyl eters BFRs are present at detectable levels in the environment. If the substances subjected for screening are found in amounts which are potentially harmful for the environment this will be followed up on national level. The Nordic screening project is run by a project group with representatives from the National Environmental Research Institute, University of Aarhus Denmark, the Finnish Environment Institute, the Environment and Food Agency of Iceland, the Environment Agency of the Faroe Islands, the Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. The project is supported by the Nordic Chemicals Group and the Aquatic Ecosystems Group as well as the participating institutions. The chemical analyses have been carried out jointly by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) and the Swedish Environmental Research Institute (IVL).

Many chemicals used in the electronics sector have negative consequences for human and environmental health. These include chemicals such as lead, mercury, brominated flame retardants, halogenated flame retardants, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and phthalates. Typical electronic waste handling practices in developing countries are detrimental to the health of workers, their environment, and their communities. There are issues associated also with formal recycling in modern facilities, and the production phase is often problematic as well, with electronics workers potentially being exposed to carcinogens and reproductive toxicants. In addition, it is becoming apparent that recycling of valuable materials must be made more efficient as the price of virgin materials, metals, and minerals increases and their availability decreases. The problems are exacerbated by the fact that there has been a rapid increase in sales of electronics in the past several years, making e-waste one of the fastest-growing waste streams today. In order to minimize any potential risks to human or environmental health, electronics stakeholders in different stages of the life cycle of electronic products need information on what chemicals are present in the products, their properties, use and potential risks. This report studies the extent to which existing information systems meet the needs of different stakeholder groups, highlights information gaps and obstacles and discusses potential solutions to optimize the flow of information on chemicals in electronics. The report is carried out within the UNEP project on Chemicals in Products.

The Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC has had the potential to become one of the most influential policy instruments in the fields of integrated product policy (IPP) and ustainable Consumption and Production. This report deals with the relevance of other environmental aspects in addition to the use phase energy consumption of products and is based on the product-specific EuP tudies of lots 15 to 18 (Solid fuel small combustion installations, Laundry Dryers, Vacuum Cleaners and Complex settop boxes). The project was initiated by the “Products and Environment group” (PMgroup) and later guided and supervised by the “Sustainable Consumption and Production group” (HKP group) of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

PCBs and dioxins are among the most toxic organic chemicals and where the latter is an unwanted bi-product primarily from residential wood burning, fires, municipal waste incineration and steel reclamation, PCBs have been widely used in a number of industrial and commercial products and activities. PAHs have carcinogeni/mutagenic properties and are produced when materials containing carbon and hydrogen are burned. The heavy metal mercury is also one of the most toxic chemicals that is being used today and although there are legally binding instruments in force within the EU and globally, which aim to limit the use and spreading of mercury in the environment it is still found in various consumer and commercial products. The use of these chemicals gives rise to emissions to air. This joint Nordic project contributes to improving the emission inventories for mercury, PAHs, dioxins and PCBs related to the sector Solvents and Other Product Use", which will help the Nordic countries to assess whether they reach the overall environmental objective of clean and healthy surroundings and several targets in the Nordic Environmental Action Programme 2009-2012 and the international air quality conventions such as Convention on Long-Range, Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP). The report is mainly aimed at experts performing the national emission inventories but also policy-makers and the general public may find information on sources to emissions, working procedure of emission inventories and on measures implemented on an international and national level for reducing emissions."

Anticoagulant rodenticides are the principal means of controlling pest rodents in the Nordic countries. Due to the intrinsic properties of second generation anticoagulants, i.e. extremely slow elimination from the body and high toxicity, they are prone to accumulate in the non-target species which consume poisoned rodents. Despite wide use there are no published studies on occurrence of residues of anticoagulant rodenticides in the non-target animals in the Nordic countries. This review of publicly available studies was aimed to find out which anticoagulant substances are found and in which species. The concentrations are reported as well as the proportion of exposed animals. We have further compiled a list of species that could potentially be exposed to anticoagulant rodenticides in the Nordic countries. The review shows that anticoagulant residues have been found everywhere they have been measured and secondary exposure to second generation anticoagulants is common among certain avian and mammalian predators. The results call for initiation of measurements of anticoagulant rodenticides also in the Nordic countries.

Municipalities, counties and similar public organizations represent a dominating share of negative environmental impact in society. The result of this project will, in the long run, be a major increase of awareness, followed by an increased use of new technologies and opportunities that will decrease negative environmental impact of the involved areas. This survey include areas such as waste handling, waste water purification, energy (power plants and district heating), real estate, vehicle handling, sports facilities, swimming pools, large-scale kitchens, transports, waterworks, and road building. These 12 areas all pose some kind of negative impact on our environment, through inefficient use of energy, use of chemicals and inefficient use of other resources. All 12 areas involve a large number of small and medium enterprises and their innovative products and services that make a contribution to decrease a negative impact on the environment. The survey was performed as a gap analysis with values from what was considered to be important and what was considered as reached progress in the areas concerned. The values are presented in dot- and spider-diagrams where the countries arithmetic average on respective survey area has been plotted out in respect to the gap value. The values are also aggregated into a diagram for the Nordic countries. The diagrams are reflecting the aggregated score with the total number of municipalities participating in the survey. In the result some clear observations can be made.

Free access to pdf files and the Nordic statistical database below. Nordic Statistical Yearbook 2010 is published for the 48th time. It is a reference book containing comprehensive and easily accessible statistics of various aspects of social life in the five Nordic countries, i.e. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In addition data are also presented on the selfgoverning regions, i.e. the Faroe Islands, Greenland and the Åland Islands. The aim of the yearbook is, as far as possible, to present comparable data on the Nordic countries. Additional tables can be found free of charge on our homepage. Here It is also possible to read and download the Nordic Statistical Yearbook in pdf format free of charge. Nordisk statistisk årsbok utkommer nu för 48:e gången. Årsboken är en uppslagsbok, som avser vara en sammanfattande och överskådlig redovisning av statistik över samhällsförhållandena i de fem nordiska länderna Danmark, Finland, Island, Norge och Sverige. I många av tabellerna redovisas också uppgifter om de självstyrande områdena Färöarna, Grönland och Åland. Syftet med årsboken är att lägga fram sinsemellan jämförbara uppgifter om de nordiska länderna. Ytterligare tabeller finns tillgängliga gratis på vår hemsida. Här är det också möjligt att kostnadsfritt läsa och ladda ner boken i pdf-format

The Nordic Product Registers has since 2003 been working on harmonizing the reporting process for companies in the Nordic countries. The objective of this report is to clarify the technical solution needed to accommodate the harmonization. This report describes a software model for implementing a joint reporting tool for the Nordic Product Registers. There exist various methods for implementing a solution to afford this, but the conclusion in this report is that a new client based on the fat-client paradigm should be developed. The report also contains cost estimates for the development and proposes two development plans for implementation.

In recent years reporting requirements regarding emissions and releases of unintentionally formed persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have been laid on parties to international agreements and members of the EU. Such obligations include those under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the UNECE POP and PRTR protocols and the EU PRTR regulation. The aim of this project has been to assess, whether existing knowledge and data are adequate for the Nordic countries to be able to estimate the emissions eventually to be reported. The project reveals that there is a substantial lack of knowledge related to potential sources in the Nordic countries. It also suggests that even though many of the main potential sources are the same, the relative importance of them differs between countries.

Elektriska och elektroniska produkter som sätts ut på EU-marknaden efter den 1 juli 2006 omfattas av ett förbud om innehåll av tungmetallerna bly, kvicksilver, kadmium och krom(IV) samt flamskyddsmedlen PBB och PBDE i RoHS-direktivet. Under hösten 2007 genomförde Sverige, Norge, Finland och Danmark samarbetsprojekt där företag som tillverkar och/eller importerar EE-produkter inspekterades. Totalt besöktes 62 företag och ytterligare 33 företag inspekterades per brev. Myndigheterna har även analyserat 208 EE-produkter från marknaden. Företagens kunskap om RoHS-direktivet var god. Av de analyserade produkterna var det knappt 20 procent som inte uppfyllde RoHS-direktivet trots att importörerna hade fått dokumentation från tillverkaren att produkten var RoHS-kompatibel. Detta projekt visar hur viktigt det är för myndigheten att utföra analyser och inte bara lita på företagens dokumentation.

This report investigates the potential for increased use of economic instruments, not the least taxes and charges, in chemcials policy. It provides a conceptual discussion of the role of different market-based instruments in controlling pollution based on chemicals production and use, and outlines a comprehensive overview and analysis of the European experiences of taxes and charges in chemicals policy during the last decades. A final chapter evaluates a set of carefully selected economic instruments targeted at specific chemical compounds and products. The cases have been chosen so as to illustrate different types of challenges in relying more extensively on economic instruments in chemicals policy, and they include the use of: (a) different types of two-stroke oils, (b) the substance nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NPEs), which break down into NPs, and (c) ethylene glycol. The report has been commissioned by the Working Group on Environment and Economics under the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Mercury is considered a global pollutant and it has been concluded that a significant portion of humans and wildlife throughout the world are exposed to methyl mercury at levels of concern. The Governing Council of UNEP has concluded that long-term international action is required. Most of the measures needed to reduce emissions will lead to costs to society. However, mercury pollution also results in costs to society including for example damage costs from negative impacts on human health and the environment, loss of income from reduced commercial fisheries, administrative costs for scientific research and development, control and risk communication. The aim of this report is to present an estimate of the socio-economic costs of continued mercury contamination of the environment as an input to the global considerations on what international long-term action should be taken. The study contains an analysis of the damage costs of continuing mercury pollution without any further measures until 2020. The analysis has mainly focussed on IQ losses due to the exposure to methyl mercury via ingestion of contaminated fish. Other human health, social and environmental damages are also discussed as are costs of controlling mercury emissions. Furthermore, societal benefits of reducing mercury emissions are presented for two emission reduction scenarios.

Numerous women in sub-Saharan Africa use soaps containing mercury to bleach their skin. The mercury goes through their skin and reduces the melanin of the pigmentation. The mercury also causes damage to the body e.g. the nervous system. Mercury is particularly dangerous for the nervous system including the brain of the foetus. One of the most severe consequences is that during pregnancy the foetus will concentrate the mercury from their mothers. Children born by mothers using skin bleaching soaps have therefore a high risk of being mentally and physically disabled. The use of mercury for skin bleaching thus not only cause severe health problems for sub-Saharan Africa, but also adds to the ever increasing amount of mercury in the drainage systems and the oceans. The present project is an information campaign aimed at female and male users of bleaching soaps. The project used forum theatre on market places and information on secondary schools in Uganda. The project has proved very successful in informing black people of Uganda against the health and environmental hazards caused by using soaps containing mercury.

Tilsynsmyndighederne på kemikalie-området i de nordiske lande har gennemført et fælles tilsynsprojekt for bilplejeprodukter. Hovedformålet med projektet har været at kontrollere om importører og producenter af bilplejeprodukter i Norden, har tilstrækkeligt kendskab til kemikaliereglerne og om de markedsførte produkter er korrekt klassificeret og mærket. Rapporten beskriver relevant lovgivning vedrørende sundheds- og miljøfarer for kemiske produkter samt tolkning af hvilke produkter der anses som omfattet af EU's forordning om vaske- og rengøringsmidler. Forordningen trådte i kraft i marts 2004 og foreskriver bl.a. særlige krav til deklarering af vaske- og rengøringsmidler. Resultaterne fra inspektionerne er opsummeret for hvert enkelt land.

This report presents a joint Nordic project on method development for measurement of release rate of active substances from antifouling products. The aim was to evaluate whether a prolongation of a standard method for release rate measurement of copper from antifouling paints may give information which is of importance for the evaluation of the environmental effects of modern antifouling paints. The background was the suspicion that some new antifouling paints for pleasure boats have non traditional release behaviour in that the release rate is low at start and then increases to a higher level. To date, the standard methods do not detect this kind of release pattern, and consequently, risks for the aquatic environment due to high release rates later in the service life of the paints are not properly evaluated. In the report, a prolongation from the standard 45 days to 122 days is studied, and some conclusions are drawn regarding the additional information for environmental risk assessment that it may give. The project was conducted by Åke Forsberg, AB Thalassa (test laboratory) and Kurt Haglund, Swedish Chemicals Agency and supervised by the Nordic Biocides Group under the Nordic Chemicals Group. The project was financially supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers.

This report explores the social, economic, environmental and health benefits that can be achieved through sound management of chemicals. The report presents a series of case studies of initiatives to improve chemicals management in developing countries or economies in transition. The case studies examine national legislative initiatives as well as on-the-ground projects to educate firms about cleaner production options. It is also looked at the role of bilateral and multilateral development assistance in facilitating adoption of sound chemicals management systems. The report was issued as a draft prior to the adoption of the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) by the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM) in February 2006 and has been amended according to inputs after that event.

The aim of this Nordic study was to investigate the occurrence of different phenolic substances in the Nordic environment. The phenolic substances include both long and short chain alkylphenols, some bisphenols and monoetoxylates of octyl- and nonylphenols. Most of the selected substances are so-called high production volume (HPV) chemicals and are considered being more or less persistent in the environment and/or hazardous to aquatic organisms. Some are of even greater concern due to endocrine effects.

The objective of this report is to review the relevant information on a brominated flame retardant hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD) in relation to the screening criteria of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and of the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants of the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution for adding new substances to these instruments. Some additional information needed in the consideration of the possible nomination of the substance as a new POP is also provided. This joint Nordic project has been prepared by consultant Johanna Peltola-Thies and supervised by a project group under Bjørg Fjeld from the Norwegian Pollution Control Authority. The project was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers through the Nordic Chemicals Group and the Nordic Sea and Air Quality Group.

Scots pine tar has been used for wood protection in the Nordic countries for over a millennium. Pine tar is in particular used on old traditional wooden buildings and structures and it is important for protection of cultural heritage in the Nordic countries. In the EU review program under the Biocidal Products Directive 98/8/EC (BPD) pine tar was considered as a biocidal active substance (wood preservative) to be evaluated in the review program. However, it was unclear if pine tar had a sufficient biocidal efficacy to fall under the Biocidal Products Directive. In order to clarify that question the Nordic Biocides Group under the Nordic Chemicals Group decided to initiate this study on the fungicidal efficacy of pine tar. This joint Nordic project was carried out by SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute and supervised by the Nordic Biocides Group under the Nordic Chemicals Group. The project was financed by the Nordic Council of Ministers through the Nordic Chemicals Group, Danish Environmental Protection Agency and the Directorate for Cultural Heritage of Norway.

The objective of this project was to give guidance for understanding the performance and reliability of a classification rule, when applied to data generated by the transformation/dissolution (T/D) protocol. The classification of sparingly soluble metal compounds is based on ecotoxicity reference values and on the measured concentrations of metal ions of experiments performed according to the T/D protocol and the standard operating procedure. The assessment was conducted by Dr. Reinhard Meister, TFH Berlin - University of Applied Sciences. The Nordic project group on Classification and Labelling under the Nordic Chemicals Group has been responsible for the project and the report is written by Reinhard Meister and Jonas Falck. The project was financed by The Nordic Council of Ministers. The probabilistic assessment presented in this report, apart from being issued by the Nordic Council of Ministers, is also intended for publication by the OECD as part of an OECD Phase 2 report concerning the validation of the transformation/dissolution (T/D) protocol (Annex 10 of /1/).

The use of toxic chemicals in articles is a growing concern for public health and the environment. International trade results in substances being transported among regions. From toys and household items to electronic equipment and automobiles, toxic substances in articles are an increasingly important factor contributing to the global burden of toxic substances. Toxic substances in articles may pose threats at every stage of the product life cycle - production, use, and disposal or recycling. In this report, we consider a factor that is critical for the sound management of substances in articles: the availability of information. At present, there is no global system for provision of information about substances in a wide range of articles. First, the report describes the problem of toxic substances in articles, with detailed case studies of selected examples and considers the advantages that would result from better information management systems. Second, the report considers existing efforts to generate and disseminate information about substances in articles, both regulatory requirements and voluntary initiatives. Third, the report offers suggestions as to the questions and themes that would need to be considered in order to improve management of information about substances in articles.

Tilsynsmyndighetene for kjemikalieområdet i de nordiske landene har gjennomført et felles tilsynsprosjekt for kunstnerfarger, porselens- og glassfarger og keramikkglasur. Hovedmålet med prosjektet har vært å kontrollere om importører og forhandlere av kunstnerfarger i Norden har kunnskap om kjemikalieregelverket og om produktene de importerer og omsetter er korrekt klassifisert og merket. I tillegg har Sverige undersøkt problemer som enkelte avløpsrenseanlegg har hatt med for høye verdier av kadmium i avløpsslam, noe man mistenker kan komme fra spillvann fra kunstskoler. Rapporten beskriver relevant regelverk og eventuelle problemområder for utvalgte helse- og/eller miljøskadelige stoffer som benyttes i kunstnerfarger. I tillegg så inneholder rapporten en konklusjon fra European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) om tolkningen av klassifiseringen av tre kadmiumforbindelser. Resultatene fra inspeksjonene er oppsummert for hvert enkelt land og rapporten gir også en oversikt over leverandører av ulike typer kunstnerfarger til de nordiske landene.

The HERAG (Health Risk Assessment Guidance Project) was initiated and financed by metal industry associations, represented by the International Council on Mining &amp, Metals (ICMM), the European Confederation of Iron and Steel Industries (Eurofer) and the European Association of Metals (Eurometaux). The HERAG project consisted of exposure assessment, effects assessment and risk characterisation. From these a set of key-topics were selected for which Fact sheets (FSs) were developed for metals and inorganic metal compounds. The fact sheets focus on the applicability of the current Technical Guidance Document (TGD, 2003) on risk assessment of chemicals under the EU Existing Substances Regulation (793/93/EC). The fact sheets have been critically reviewed by a Nordic expert group. The opinions of the Nordic experts are compiled in the present report. The report concludes that the guidance presented in most of the fact sheets is at a very general level and might be applicable to all substances, not only for metals. The experience from the implementation of the Existing substances regulation (793/93/EC) risk assessments, which are done according to the TGD methodology, is that TGD allows deviations when required, as long as they are justified and done in a transparent way. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that special aspects of metal toxicology could not be considered under RIP (REACH Implementation Projects) projects. The present review has revealed a number of flaws and shortcomings in the proposed fact sheets, which further support the inclusion of metals health risk assessment under the general risk assessment RIP, corresponding to TGD (2003).

The main objective with this work was to discuss and give guidance on when testing according to REACH may be omitted based on information on exposure. This includes interpretation of the terminology used for the specific exposure based waiving according to Column 2 of Annexes VIII-X in REACH and the general exposure based waiving according to Annex XI. In addition, it includes exposure based triggering of testing. Waiving of testing is considered to be risk-based rather than exposure-based. One issue with risk-based waiving is that the toxicological study under discussion for waiving is sometimes needed in order to decide whether the exposure is negligible. In order to waive testing it is necessary with detailed and extensive knowledge on exposure over the whole life-cycle. Information corresponding to an exposure scenario is needed even though this is only requested if the substance is a PBT eller vPvB or fulfils the criteria for classification.

Risk assessment of metals may need specific guidance in how to handle natural background, essentiality, and long historical use of metals. It may also be necessary to take bio-availability into account. The aim of the present project was to critically review proposals on principles for risk assessment of metals (MERAG), developed by the metals industry, in co-operation with the UK Government during 2005-2006. The different MERAG proposals were reviewed by different Nordic consultancies, and their views are summarised in the report. The project was initiated and coordinated by the Nordic Risk Assessment Project (NORAP), which receives funding from the Nordic Chemicals group, a subgroup to the Nordic Council of Ministers. This review was considered urgent, in order to be prepared for a possible proposal to implement the MERAG principles within the Technical Guidance Document on Chemical Safety Assessment, which is developed for use under the REACH regulation.

Mercury is among our most serious health and environmental hazards and man-made emissions of mercury result in human exposure, directly and via fish consumption. As an input to global considerations on mercury management, we present a mercury substitution priority working list, or: An identification of the least essential mercury uses. Our assessment indicates that: Many mercury uses may today be readily eliminated, if politically desired. Global mercury demand may be reduced significantly by substitution of the least essential uses. Applying a prioritized phase-out list may help focusing on the main problems, securing a cost effective phase-out process. We therefore recommend that a prioritised phase-out work list for intentional mercury uses is discussed and developed further in international cooperation, for example in the Open-ended Working Group considering legal and other initiatives on mercury established under the auspices of UNEP. The list could serve as: A valuable tool in mutual communication and discussion of possible global mercury reductions A tool for a step-wise reduction development, if desired politically A part of forming a common vision for global mercury reduction.

Siloxanes belong to a group of substances used in a number of industrial applications and in consumer products such as additives in fuel, car polish, cleaners, anti foamiers and car waxes. Besides this, they are widely used in e.g. personal care and biomedical products. As a result of their wide use, siloxanes are presumably spread into the environment both via point sources and via diffuse sources and may be found in the environment. Recent studies have suggested that siloxanes may have direct or indirect toxic effects on various biological processes. The aim of this screening study was to obtain a snapshot of the occurrence of siloxanes in the Nordic environment. The here presented screening study involved six countries: Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Sampled media types were air, biota, sediment, sludge, soil and water. Siloxanes were found in all the analysed samples types except soils. The results indicate that there is a general pollution of siloxanes in the Nordic environment, close to dense population and major sources. There was, however, a great variation in concentrations. The cyclic siloxanes occurred in all media in significantly higher concentrations than the linear siloxanes. At present, the observed concentrations are not alarmingly high, and many background sites seem to be non-contaminated. However, the use of siloxanes is extensive and it is possible that continued use will lead to increased environmental levels, eventually reaching effect concentrations.

Dioxins, PCBs and related toxic compounds also in Baltic Sea fish have caused much interest, concern and activity. Dioxins have become a 'boundary object' uniting many disciplines and acting as a symbol also for other concerns and issues. This report, produced in a cooperative project of the Nordic Council of Ministers, synthesizes and evaluates knowledge relevant for assessing and managing risks from dioxin-like compounds in Baltic fish, and analyzes aspects of these risks and their management. It clarifies what risks are associated with 'dioxins' in this context and what can be, ought to be, has been and is being done about them and on what grounds. The intended audiences include experts in the disciplines involved, such as toxicology and chemistry, public health and food safety, and fisheries and environmental management. The report may also be of interest, and is hoped to be of use, to other professionals and students, to decision makers in various realms, even to lay persons, considering the broad and keen interest in the topic field.