Meet the challenge of new CLP hazard classes with simplified persistence evaluations

The freely available Persistence Assessment Tool (PAT) has been cited in the newly released guidance for the Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) Regulation as a tool for weight-of-evidence data collection.

The updated Classification, Labelling, and Packaging (CLP) guidance addresses the integration of new hazard classes including Persistent, Bioaccumulative and Toxic (PBT) and very Persistent, very Bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances, as well as classes related to more emerging concerns such as Endocrine Disruptors (ED), and Persistent, Mobile, and Toxic (PMT) and very Persistent, very Mobile (vPvM) substances. The guidance details the classification criteria and information used to assess individual hazards under a weight-of-evidence approach.

The Persistence Assessment Tool (PAT) helps address the growing regulatory need to evaluate the persistence of chemicals, driven by global concerns such as plastic pollution,  per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) ("forever chemicals"), and PMT/vPvM substances. It supports practitioners by providing a clear, step-by-step approach to chemical persistence assessments, simplifying the complex process through a systematic method to collect diverse persistence data, assess its quality, and perform robust, transparent evaluations in line with different regulatory frameworks.  

The PAT helps meet the increasing demands for biodegradation testing and persistence assessments, offering much-needed support in a challenging area.

The freely available tool:

• Facilitates the capturing of the diverse range of degradation data used to inform persistence assessments as part of PBT/vPvB and PMT/vPvM hazard evaluations.
• Enables the evaluation of the reliability and relevance of each study, with consideration for difficult-to-test and complex substances.
• Combines each study and data type as part of a quantitative weight-of-evidence determination. 
• Provides a role similar to that of the Bioaccumulation Assessment Tool (BAT) for bioaccumulation.

Learn more about the PAT tool >

Learn more about our chemical regulatory solutions >