Four documents of <link https: echa.europa.eu fr guidance-documents guidance-on-information-requirements-and-chemical-safety-assessment _blank>the Guidance on Information Requirements and Chemical Safety Assessment (IR&CSA) related to the identification of persistent bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) and very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvB) substances have been updated: Chapter R.11 (version 3.0), Part C (version 3.0), Chapter R.7b (version 4.0) and Chapter R.7c (version 3.0).

The updates mainly address recent scientific developments in the field and reflect ECHA’s current approach to PBT/vPvB assessment. These include the assessment of chemical substances of unknown or variable composition, complex reaction products and biological materials (UVCBs); temperature-dependence of biodegradation; choice and interpretation of various degradation tests for persistence assessment; the use of OECD Test Guideline 305, terrestrial bioaccumulation data and field data for bioaccumulation assessment. The recommended strategies for persistence and bioaccumulation assessment have been refined accordingly.