New Zealand's Environmental Protection Authority has recently completed its reassessments of two groups of hazardous substances: Organophosphate and Carbamate Plant Protection Substances (OPCs), and Antifouling Paints (AFPs). The group approach allowed decisions on individual approvals to be made in a more holistic fashion across the group of substances. OPCs have been widely used in New Zealand for many decades and play a key role in agricultural pest management programmes. However, OPCs are extremely toxic to human health and to the environment. AFPs are used to prevent build-up of fouling organisms on submerged surfaces and hulls of boats through the release of biocides from the paint coating. AFPs are inherently toxic to aquatic organisms and can also present health risks to applicators handling and applying the paint. This paper describes the assessment of the risks, costs and benefits, engagement with stakeholders, the regulatory decisions made, the challenges faced and lessons learnt.

Group reassessments � a holistic approach to hazardous substance reviews

248th National Meeting (2014)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.