Development of Specific Emission Release Categories (SPERCs) for metals
Chapter R16 of the REACH Guidance on Information Requirements & Chemical Safety Assessment introduces Environmental Release Classes as generic, broadly applicable emission scenarios. They define the fractions of a substance emitted during a process/application, and provide default assumptions for the local environmental properties. An industry evaluation concluded that ERCs provide for standardization while leading to unrealistically conservative emission estimates.
The guidance acknowledges that an “ERC should be used as a starting point for emission estimation” and explicitly encourages the use of more refined or specific information for emissions. A guidance document is developed to provide guidance on the development, and use of specific ERCs (SPERCs) for metals and metal compounds. It defines SPERCs, and describes how they are developed and how they can be accessed by registrants and downstream users. In addition it addresses how downstream users check whether their concrete uses are covered by a metal-based Exposure Scenario.
The general SPERC Guidance Document for metals and metal compounds can be downloaded here. The individual SPERC sheets can be downloaded from the respective links in the table below.
The summary table of all SPERCs can be found in the Table below. The default release factors are close to final and therefore sufficiently robust to be used in exposure scenario development but they can be subject to slight changes. Note that common on-site RMM are included in the release factors to wastewater and air. The SPERC characteristics are more delineated in the factsheets. Please always refer to the version number when using SPERCs.
| Life-cycle stage | Substance | Linked to ERC | Default release to air (incl.RMMs) | Default release to water (incl. on-site RMMs) | SPERC fact sheet |
| Production | metal | 1 | 0.03 % | 0.01 % | Download version 1.2 |
| Production | metal compounds | 1 | 0.03 % | 0.02 % | Download version 1.1 |
| Formulation | alloy | 2,3 | 0.007 % | 0.003 % | Download version 1.1 |
| Formulation | metal compounds | 2,3 | 0.004 % | 0.5 % | Download version 1.1 |
| use-shape | metal | 12a | 0.02% | 0.01 % | Download version 1.2 |
| Use-intermediate | metal/alloy | 6a | 0.03 % | 0.02 % | See SPERC Production of metal compound |
| Use-Metallic coating | metal + metal compounds | 5 | 0.4 % | 0.6 % | Download version 1.1 |
| Use-batteries | metal + metal compounds | 0.002 % | 0.003 % | Download version 1.1 | |
| Use | metal compounds | 4-7 | 0.1 % | 0.6 % | Download version 1.1 (further refinements are ongoing) |
| Service life | metal | 8-11 | Use ERC | Use ERC | |
| Service life | metal compounds | 8-11 | Use ERC | Use ERC | |
| Waste | metal | Under development | |||
| Waste | metal compounds | Under development |
To keep posted on future updates please email your contact details to Dr. Frederik Verdonck at frederik.verdonck@arche-consulting.be or visit our website on a regular basis.
