GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals

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The GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals is a transparent, open standard for assessing chemical hazard that supports alternatives assessment for toxics use reduction through identifying chemicals of concern and safer alternatives. [1] It is used by researchers, product formulators and certifiers in a variety of industries, including building products, textiles, apparel, and consumer products.

Contents

The GreenScreen prioritizes the avoidance of substances with a high hazard as a carcinogen, mutagen, reproductive toxicant or developmental toxicant or endocrine disruptor or that are a persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substance (PBT).

Types of analysis

The GreenScreen protocol is published in a Guidance document that is reviewed and updated regularly. The description here is based upon the Hazard Assessment Guidance Version 1.4 [2] An assessment using the GreenScreen has two major outputs:

The GreenScreen process has two levels of analysis:

A full GreenScreen Assessment provides a more complete hazard profile of a substance than a List Translator screening. It involves a detailed review of the scientific literature to attempt to determine hazard levels for all endpoints and calculate a GreenScreen benchmark. It may also use models and studies of analogs where direct data are scarce. Each endpoint hazard level is also assigned a confidence level based on the quality of the data.

Benchmark scores

The GreenScreen List Translator only can flag chemicals known to be of highest concern. A full GreenScreen Assessment can benchmark chemicals as being of lower concern. The Benchmark scale is:

The assessment requires data for most endpoints in order to give a substance a benchmark of lower concern than BM-1

Benchmark 1 is reserved for substances with a high hazard of any of the following:

High hazards for other human health endpoints, such as neurotoxicity and respiratory sensitization, receive a Benchmark 2

This parallels the prioritization schemes underlying various international governmental regulatory programs such as the Substance of very high concern definition within the REACH Regulation of the European Union.

Special cases

DG - Data gaps: Strict guidelines limit the amount of data gaps. Where there are data gaps, the assessment includes a worst case scenario to determine the lowest possible Benchmark score if the data gap were filled with the highest possible hazard. These Benchmarks include a subscript of DG. A chemical that has too many data gaps receives a Benchmark U.

TP - Transformation Products: The assessment also must identify feasible and relevant environmental transformation products and benchmark them. If the Benchmark score is determined by the transformation products, the Benchmark score will include a subscript of TP.

CoHC - Chemicals of High Concern (polymer residuals & catalysts): Version 1.4 of the GreenScreen added special rules for benchmarking polymers which include analysis of residual monomers and/or catalysts present at or above 100 ppm. If the Benchmark score is determined by one of these chemicals, the Benchmark score will include a subscript of CHoC.

Applications

GreenScreen Assessments are internally used for research and product improvement by product manufacturers in many industry sectors, including electronics, [3] building products, textiles, apparel, and consumer products. [4] For example Apple is using GreenScreen framework and similar approaches to find safer materials in its products and processes. [5] The GreenScreen is also referenced publicly by sustainability standards in several of these industries, including the Health Product Declaration Standard (HPD), [6] Portico, [7] Building product disclosure and optimization - material ingredients credits in the US Green Building Council's LEED program, [8] the International Living Future Institute's Living Product Challenge [9] (related to the Living Building Challenge, and by various governmental bodies. [ citation needed ]

The GreenScreen standard is developed, maintained and published by Clean Production Action (CPA), a non profit organization, based in the United States. CPA publishes the GreenScreen as an open standard which anyone can utilize. To make a public claim using a GreenScreen Benchmark, however, the GreenScreen assessment must be completed by a Profiler licensed by CPA.[ citation needed ]

The GreenScreen has substantial overlaps with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and the criteria of the US EPA’s Design for the Environment. It differs from GHS, however, in some significant ways. GreenScreen has a lower threshold of analysis. GreenScreen includes endocrine activity, addresses PBTs more comprehensively and considers environmental transformation products. GreenScreen also requires and provides guidance for addressing data gaps. GHS, on the other hand, covers more physical workplace hazards then the GreenScreen and provides guidelines for identifying hazards across languages with icons. This reflects the GHS focus on workplace safety and communications.[ citation needed ]

The Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Product Certification program includes a hazard screening protocol that is similar to the GreenScreen and GHS in many ways. The C2C analysis divides endpoints differently and is integrated into a product certification. There is not a standalone public assessment of individual substances.

These programs have been the subject of analysis evaluating the relationships, differences and opportunities for harmonization. [10]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety data sheet</span> Sheet listing work-related hazards of a product or substance

A safety data sheet (SDS), material safety data sheet (MSDS), or product safety data sheet (PSDS) is a document that lists information relating to occupational safety and health for the use of various substances and products. SDSs are a widely used type of fact sheet used to catalogue information on chemical species including chemical compounds and chemical mixtures. SDS information may include instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated with a particular material or product, along with spill-handling procedures. The older MSDS formats could vary from source to source within a country depending on national requirements; however, the newer SDS format is internationally standardized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquatic toxicology</span> Study of manufactured products on aquatic organisms

Aquatic toxicology is the study of the effects of manufactured chemicals and other anthropogenic and natural materials and activities on aquatic organisms at various levels of organization, from subcellular through individual organisms to communities and ecosystems. Aquatic toxicology is a multidisciplinary field which integrates toxicology, aquatic ecology and aquatic chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976</span> United States federal law

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a United States law, passed by the 94th United States Congress in 1976 and administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that regulates chemicals not regulated by other U.S. federal statutes, including chemicals already in commerce and the introduction of new chemicals. When the TSCA was put into place, all existing chemicals were considered to be safe for use and subsequently grandfathered in. Its three main objectives are to assess and regulate new commercial chemicals before they enter the market, to regulate chemicals already existing in 1976 that posed an "unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment", as for example PCBs, lead, mercury and radon, and to regulate these chemicals' distribution and use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act</span> 1986 United States law

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals</span> International standard managed by the United Nations

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References

  1. ↑ Heine, Lauren; Franjevic, Shari (January 2013). "Chemical Hazard Assessment and the GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals". Issues in Environmental Science and Technology. 36. doi:10.1039/9781849737234-00129 . Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  2. ↑ GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals Hazard Assessment Guidance for Chemicals, Polymers and Products (Version 1.4 ed.). Clean Production Action. January 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  3. ↑ Holder, Helen A.; Mazurkiewicz, P. H.; Robertson, C. A.; Wray, C. A. (2013). "Hewlett-Packard's use of the GreenScreen for safer chemicals". In R. M. Harrison; R. E. Hester (eds.). Chemical alternatives assessments. Issues in Environmental Science and Technology. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. pp. 157–176. ISBN   978-1-84973-723-4.
  4. ↑ Winnebeck, Kathryn (March 2011). "An abbreviated alternatives assessment process for product designers: a children's furniture manufacturing case study". Journal of Cleaner Production. 19 (5): 464–476. Bibcode:2011JCPro..19..464W. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.10.008.
  5. ↑ Rob Guzzo, Mike Werner, Art Fong, Lida Tan, Thomas Ebert (September 2016). “Integrating Toxicological Assessments in Material Selection for Apple Products”. Apple. Retrieved October 2018.
  6. ↑ "HPD Open Standard". HPDC. Health Product Declaration Collaborative. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  7. ↑ "Help Center: How are products scored?". Portico. Healthy Building Network. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  8. ↑ "Building product disclosure and optimization - material ingredients". EED BD+C: New Construction v4 - LEED v4 - Materials & Resources. US Green Building Council. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "Living Product Challenge Standard V 1.1" (PDF). Living Product Challenge Certification. International Living Future Institute. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Heine, Lauren. "Material Health Evaluation Programs Harmonization Opportunities Report" (PDF). USGBC Resources. US Green Building Council. Retrieved 6 June 2018.
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