Underestimation of the environmental risk by not considering parallel uses of biocidal products: Cumulative exposure and risk assessment of biocidal products

Objective: Drawing up a harmonised technical guide valid throughout the EU to the coordinated review of all relevant entries of same active substance, aiming at implementing article 10 (1) of the Biocides Directive (or in the future article 8 (3) of the Biocides Regulation). Procedure: in a first step, the terminology used has to be sorted out throughout the EU. The criteria necessary for determing the relevance of a cumulative risk assessment thereby have to be indicated. In order to provide a harmo-nized approach, proposals for the technical implementation of the cumulative environmental risk assessment relating to the handling of biocides should be elaborated and put forward to the EU with a view to an implementation in the medium term. In addition, the results obtained are to be verified on the basis of example calculations. Moreover, an investigation of the legal consequences of different cases of cumulative entries has to be carried out. Finally, a harmonized technical guide is to be drawn up.