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The Column ModelAn aid to substitute assessment

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1 Risks 2a Acute health hazards(single aection, e.g. accident withchemicals)

2b Chronic health hazards(repeated aection)

Very high risk t Very toxic substances/preparations(R26, R27, R28)

t Substances/preparations which mayliberate very toxic gases when in contactwith acids (R32)

t Carcinogenic substances o categories 1 or 2(Carc.Cat.1, K1, Carc.Cat.2, K2, R45, R49)

t Mutagenic substances o categories 1 or 2(Mut.Cat.1, M1, Mut.Cat.2, M2, R46)

t Preparations containing carcinogenic ormutagenic substances o categories 1 or 2in concentrations 0.1%

High risk t Toxic substances/preparations(R23, R24, R25)

t Substances/preparations causing severeburns (highly corrosive)(R35)

t Substances/preparations which mayliberate toxic gases when in contact withwater or acids (R29, R31)

t Skin sensitizing substances(R43, Sh)t Substances sensitizing the respiratory tract

(R42, Sa)

t Preparations containing skin or respiratorytract sensitizing substances in a concentra-

tion 1% (in case o gases 0.2%)

t Substances toxic to reproduction ocategories 1 or 2 (Repr.Cat.1, R

E1, R

F1,

Repr.Cat.2, RE2, R

F2, R60, R61)

t Preparations containing substances toxic toreproduction o categories 1 or 2 in concen-trations 0.5% (in case o gases 0.2%)

t Carcinogenic substances o category 3(Carc.Cat.3, K3, R40)

t Mutagenic substances o category 3(Mut.Cat.3, M3, R68)

t Preparations containing carcinogenic ormutagenic substances o category 3 inconcentrations 1%

t Substances which can accumulate in thehuman body (R33)

Medium risk t Substances/preparations harmul to health(R20, R21, R22)

t Substances, which may accumulate inbreast milk (R64)

t Substances/preparations causing burns(corrosive) (R34, pH 11.5, resp. 2)

t Substances harmul to eyesight (R41)t Non toxic gases; may cause suocation by

air displacement (e.g. nitrogen)

t Substances toxic to reproduction ocategory 3 (Repr.Cat.3, R

E3, R

F3, R62, R63)

t Preparations containing substances ocategory 3 toxic to reproduction in concen-trations 5% (in case o gases 1%)

Low risk t Irritant substances/preparations(R36, R37, R38)

t Skin aections when working in wetenvironment

t Substances/preparations which may causelung damage i swallowed (R65)

t Skin aecting substances/preparations(R66)

t Vapours causing drowsiness and dizziness(R67)

t Otherwise chronically aecting substances(no R-phrase, but nonetheless a hazardoussubstance!)

Negligible risk tHarmless substances by experience (e.g. water, sugar, paran and similar)

1) German water pollution classes are only considered a ranking criteria with those substances/preparations,

which have not been assessed or properties harmul to the environment.

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Environmental hazards1) 4 Fire and explosionhazards2)

5 Exposure potential 6 Hazards caused byprocedures

Substances/preparationswith the warning symbolN and hazards indications

R50, R51, R53, R54, R55,R56, R57, R58, R59

Substances/preparationso the German waterpollution class WGK 3

t Explosive substances/preparations (R2, R3)

t Extremely fammablegases and liquids (R12)

t Spontaneously fammablesubstances/preparations(R17)

t Gasest Liquids with a vapour

pressure > 250 hPa (mbar)

(e.g. dichloromethane)t Dust producing solidst Aerosols

t Open processingt Possibility o direct skin

contact

t Application on large area

t Highly fammablesubstances/preparations(R11)

t Substances/preparations,liberating extremelyfammable gases when in

contact with water (R15)t Oxidizing substances/

preparations (R7, R8, R9)

t Substances/preparationswith specic properties(R1, R4, R5, R6, R7, R14,R16, R18, R19, R30, R44)

t Liquids with a vapourpressure o 50 ... 250 hPa(mbar) (e.g. methanol)

Substances/preparationswithout warning symbol

N, but with hazardsindicationsR52, R53Substances/preparationso the German waterpollution classWGK 2

t Flammable substances/preparations (R10)

t Liquids with a vapourpressure o 10 ... 50 hPa

(mbar), except water(e.g. toluene)

t Closed processing butexposure possibilities e.g.

when lling, sampling orcleaning

Substances/preparationso the German waterpollution class WGK 1

t Hardly fammablesubstances/preparations(fashpoint 55 ... 100 C)

t Liquids with a vapourpressure o 2 ... 10 hPa(mbar) (e.g. xylene)

Not water polluting sub-stances/preparations(NWG, ormerly WGK 0)

t Infammable or veryhardly fammablesubstances/preparations(or liquids fashpoint> 100 C)

t Liquids with a vapourpressure < 2 hPa (mbar)(e.g. glycol)

t Solids releasing no dusts

t Tightly closed equipmentt Closed equipment with

exhaust acilities at pointso emission

Explosive dusts have to be analysed careully in each single case because o their specic problems,

thus no risk level is attributed to them here.

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Notes on Evaluating Substitute Substances

by the Column Model

I there are no recommenda-tions available to help yousolve your substitute substanceproblem, the Column Modelcan help you make a quick

comparison o substances andpreparations. To do so, youonly need the brie inormationound in the Material SaetyData Sheet or on the packagelabelling. Proceed as ollows:

1. Copy the Column Model tableonce or each product and noteeach products name on adierent copy.

2. Reer to the Material Saety DataSheet or the requisite inorma-tion. There you will nd thehazard levels, R-phrases andthe German water pollutionclasses in chapter 15 o theMaterial Saety Data Sheet andinormation on the exposurepotential in chapter 9. You canalso nd additional inormation

in chapters 3, 5, 11, and 12.

3. Note the inormation you ndor the respective product onthe copy o the Column Modeltable. Note the procedureused in the last column.

4. Now compare the columnsbelow separately or eachproduct to be evaluated:> Acute and chronic health

hazards > Environmental hazards > Fire and explosion hazards > Exposure potential > Hazards caused by proce-

dures

Please bear in mind:

t Comparisons are only to bemade within a column, andnever within a line. The

col umns or acute healthhazards and chronic healthhazards count as one singlecolumn.

t The column acute healthhazards has a peculiarity inthe R-phrases 20, 21, 22, 23,24, and 25: i these R-phrasesoccur in combination withR-phrase 48, then the sub-

stances or products inquestion are categorizedin the next higher risk level.These are then chronic healthhazards.

t Also products (preparations)are assessed only on the basiso their preparation labellingwith respect to their acute andchronic health hazards.

Procedures

Are recommendations already available on substitute substances?

Answering the question o whichproduct has the lower health riskis dicult. Recommendations ora whole series o questions re-garding substitute substances canbe applied directly, such as:

t Technical rules or hazardous substances in the 600 series

t BG/BGIA-recommendations, LASI-guidelines

t Product codes, GISCODEs

t Other industry guidelines

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t I the potential substituteproduct rates better in all vecolumns than the product inuse, the substitution problemis solved.

t It will mostly be the case that

the potential substitute productrates better in some columns,but worse in one or two toother columns. This obligesyou to assess which potentialhazards in other words, whichcolumns play a larger role inyour particular situation. I, orexample, sources o combus-tion cannot be excluded in yourproduction processes, then the

re and explosion characteris-tics together with the exposurepotential will have the greaterweight. I your productionmethods result in large quanti-ties o waste by-products, thenthe environmental hazards willbe emphasized.

t For urther interpretation othe results reer to TRGS 600

Annex 2.

t Document your decisions inan appropriate manner(e.g. by attaching the copiesdescribed above).

Interpretation o the results

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The Legal Basis or Determining Substance

Hazards and Finding Substitutes

9 (1) Geahrstoverordnung

[Hazardous Substance Ordinance]:

The employer shall ensure that any workerhealth or saety risk arising rom any work

activity involving hazardous substances iseliminated or minimized through implementa-tion o the measures specied in the risk as-sessment. In complying with this requirement,the employer shall prioritize use o a substitutesubstance or preparation. In particular, theemployer shall avoid activities involving haz-ardous substances or shall replace hazardoussubstances with substances, preparations,products or processes that are not deleterious,or less deleterious, to worker health and saety

under the relevant application conditions.The employer shall indicate in the risk assess-ment documentation his reasons or oregoingimplementation o any available substitution.

Remark: This does not apply i the risk assess-ment shows that workers risk is negligible.

7 (9) Geahrstoverordnung

[Hazardous Substance Ordinance]:

I the risk assessment shows that worker riskis negligible owing to (a) the nature o the

company work environment (b) the use o onlysmall amounts o hazardous substances and(c) the act that the cumulative duration andamount o exposure to hazardous substancesis relatively low, and (d) i the health andsaety measures realized or workers pursuantto Article 8 (1) through 8 (8) are sucient,no urther saeguards pursuant to Articles 9through 17 shall be required (protection class1). The rst sentence shall not apply to activi-ties involving hazardous substances which

1. are classied or labeled as toxic, highlytoxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic toreproduction pursuant to EC category 1 or 2;or

2. have been classied by a Federal Ministryo Economics and Labor advisory as class 1or 2 substances that are carcinogenic,mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction.

The Hazardous Substance Ordinance says that the employer do(among other things):

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Conditions or Using the Column Model

according to TRGS 600

A supposedly less dangerous prod-uct can be more dangerous inreality; yet the concrete hazardouscharacteristics may not have beentested. TRGS 600 thus demands:In order to evaluate the sub-stances used and released in

processing, these ingredients/preparations should be assessed

and labelled on the basis o avail-able data on toxicity, skin irritation,mucous irritation, skin sensitisa-tion and potential to mutageniccharacteristics.

The employer must determine

whether such studies have alreadybeen conducted. Until this inor-

mation as to their characteristicsare available, these characteristicsare to be presumed present whendeciding on substitutes and protec-tive measures ...

What is the problem?

What eects does this have on the Column Model?

I the inormation on requiredtests is unavailable, whereas theinstructions in the Material SaetyData Sheet are conorm to the

TRGS 600, Yet, it is the experi-ence o the manuacturer that nohazards are to be expected beyond

those on the label, then the Col-umn Model can be applied withoutexception.

I the Material Saety Data Sheetgives details on none or only a ewrequired tests and i an inquiry

with the manuacturer has notyielded any inormation, then itmust be assumed when using theColumn Model that the respective

characteristics are present.

The most consistent procedureis the one in which those productslacking inormation with regard

to the our basic tests describedhere are not even considered aspotential substitutes, or in which

products lacking such inormationare replaced by others that arebacked by studies and tests.

1. I no inormation isavailable on tests or

acute toxicity, then thesubstance or prepara-tion has to be catego-rized as a mediumrisk in the columnacute health hazards(in terms o a harmulsubstance/preparation,R20, 21 or 22).

2. I no inormation isavailable on tests o

irritant eects to theskin/mucous mem-brane, then the sub-stance or preparationhas to be categorizedat least as a low riskin the column acutehealth hazards (interms o an irritant,R38).

3. I no inormation isavailable on tests or

mutagenic properties,then the substanceor preparation has tobe categorized as ahigh risk in thecolumn chronic healthhazards (in terms oa mutagenic substanceo category 3, R68).

4. I no inormation isavailable on tests or

skin sensitisation,then the substance orpreparation has to becategorized as a highrisk in the columnacute health hazards(in terms o a skinsensitizing substance/preparation, R43)

What does this mean specifcally?

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Deutsche Gesetzliche

Unfallversicherung e. V. (DGUV)

Mittelstrae 51

10117 Berlin

Telefon 030 288763800

Fax 030 288763808

E-Mail: info@dguv.de

Internet: www.dguv.de

Prepared by: Dr. Thomas Smola

Published by: BGIA Institut r Arbeitsschutz

der Deutschen Gesetzlichen

Unallversicherung

Alte Heerstrae 111

53757 Sankt Augustin

Telephone: [+49] (0)2241 231-2743Fax: [+49] (0)2241 231-2234

Internet: www.dguv.de/bgia

September 2009