Notification of change in the BASTA system

In 2014 BASTA plans to further develop their system of qualification. At present the classification of construction products in the BASTA system relies on a simplified evaluation of the subject contents inherent hazards. As the system does not take into account if the risks associated with the inherent hazard can be expressed or not, it creates a situation where whole types of materials risks becoming disqualified despite very limited health and environmental risks. Therefore, BASTA will be enabling certain types of materials, which today are disqualified in the system, but which also holds an important function in today’s construction, to become independently evaluated for their actual health and environmental risks.

As of 1 January 2014 BASTA welcomes the material industry (or representatives thereof) to contact BASTA office to apply for a guidance documentation preparation for individual types of materials. The requirement is that 1) the material type is needed for today’s construction, that 2) one feels that there is sufficient information and knowledge regarding said material type and that this demonstrates a limited and acceptable health and environmental risks and 3) that there is a possible participation and funding from industry in efforts to develop a guidance document.

In view of the impending changes in the property criteria an option is provided for a general exemption in the BASTA system for products that do not meet the more stringent requirement for endocrine disruptors, which comes into force on the 1 of January 2014. This exemption applies until the end of March 2014. During the first quarter of 2014 BASTA offers an option to apply for the development of guidance documents (as stated in the requirements in the preceding paragraph) for the types of materials which do not meet the changes in the property criteria. When a written request for a certain type of material is submitted and granted by BASTA, an extension on the exemption can be granted until the guidance document is completed and products based on the specific type of material can be allowed to register in the new register.

For further information contact BASTA’s CEO Sussi Wetterlin (Sussi.wetterlin@ivl.se).

Nanoparticles

BASTA had previously announced that the presence of nanoparticles should be documented and be made available on request as from 1 January 2014. The requirement will apply to nanomaterials, and not for individual nanoparticles. The EU Commission Recommendation on the definition of nanomaterial will however result in some difficulties in determining what is a nanomaterial and what is not a nanomaterial, something which is among other things depend on the fact that we currently have no harmonized methods to measure the size or size distribution of particles in the materials. Leading to situation where different measurements can give results that are not comparable. BASTA has due to these complications decided to postpone the documentation requirement for nanomaterials until a harmonized measurement method have been developed.

For further information please contact BASTA Scientific Coordinator Anna Widheden (anna.widheden@ivl.se).

* http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/endocrine/strategy/being_en.htm