ChemFORWARD Launches First Portfolio, Offering Comprehensive Assessments of Alternatives to Hazardous Plasticizers
ChemFORWARD Launches First Portfolio, Offering Comprehensive Assessments of Alternatives to Hazardous Plasticizers
ChemFORWARD is pleased to announce that its first portfolio of data on alternatives to ortho-phthalate, which are often referred to simply as phthalate, plasticizers of concern has been posted and is available for subscription. The organization’s initial pilot project compiled hazard assessments for 10 safer plasticizers.
“Nobody has ever seen the assessments through these complementary views before,” said Lauren Heine, ChemFORWARD’S director of safer materials and data integrity. “Our platform gives users more actionable data from a high-level overview to granular endpoint ratings and deeper insight by comparing them through different methodologies.”
While phthalates are the most widely used plasticizers, appearing in products from textiles and building supplies to electronics and adhesives, some have been linked to reproductive and developmental toxicity. This portfolio offers information on more than 24 human and environmental hazard endpoints including multiple exposure routes. The data are presented to inform a variety of industries and help guide them to select less hazardous alternatives, ultimately creating safer products for consumers.
ChemFORWARD’S platform “really lets you see what hazards there are so that you can determine how much those hazards matter for how you plan to use a substance,” Heine said.
Only chemicals that met a minimum threshold of safety and performance were selected for inclusion in the portfolio, drawing on research funded by the Washington State Department of Ecology and performed by Northwest Green Chemistry. At its most granular, information is presented in hazard summary tables, showing users details on human and environmental impacts and across exposure pathways. ChemFORWARD does not use an overarching score for these results; thus avoiding overly aggregated information that can hide trade-offs and data gaps. ChemFORWARD’S tool offers sufficiently detailed information for users to make informed decisions about what is most important for their products and to avoid regrettable substitutions.
The assessments are performed by independent, professional toxicologists and verified by outside toxicology experts to ensure that the classifications are comprehensive and based on best practices. The verification process also helps to ensure consistency and quality when multiple assessors contribute data to the platform. The portfolio is expected to grow over time as chemical suppliers propose additional safer alternatives.
The pilot also established ChemFORWARD’S cloud-based platform, equipping assessors to easily enter chemical hazard assessment data and offering users access to the results in multiple formats including the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and the Cradle to Cradle Material Health Methodology.
Additional alternative assessment portfolios are planned for this year with a further 18 projects scheduled for 2020. Once posted, portfolio access is available via subscription at www.chemforward.org. Contact us for a demo info@chemforward.org.
ChemFORWARD is a nonprofit collaboration of leading brands, retailers and NGOs working to empower the value chain with high quality, actionable chemical hazard data. We believe that better data leads to better decisions, creating better outcomes for humans and the environment. Join us!
