I am contributing to the course "Risk Assessment and Regulation of Chemicals".

My research focuses on investigating novel methods to manage the risks posed by harmful chemical substances. More specifically, I am evaluating how the "Essential-Use" concept could be implemented in chemical regualtions to guide decision-making to phase-out the most harmful chemicals. I am also interested in developing new methods to evaluate and compare alternatives to a substance of concern to prevent regrettable substitution.

I am part of the European project ZeroPM since 2021.

A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Managing PMT/vPvM substances in consumer products through the concepts of essential-use and functional substitution: a case-study for cosmetics

  2023. Joanke van Dijk (et al.). Environmental Science 25 (6), 1067-1081

  Article

  Measures are needed to protect water sources from substances that are mobile, persistent and toxic (PMT) or very persistent and very mobile (vPvM). PMT/vPvM substances are used in a diverse range of applications, including consumer products. The combined application of the essential-use and functional substitution concepts has been proposed to phase out substances of concern and support the transition to safer and more sustainable chemicals, a key goal of the European Commission’s Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Here, we first identified the market share of PMT/vPvM containing cosmetic products. We found that 6.4% of cosmetic products available on the European market contain PMT or vPvM substances. PMT/vPvM substances were most often found in hair care products. Based on their high occurrence, the substances Allura red (CAS 25956-17-6), benzophenone-4 (CAS 4065-45-6) and climbazole (CAS 38083-17-9) were selected as case-studies for assessment of their functionality, availability of safer alternatives and essentiality. Following the functional substitution framework, we found that the technical function of Allura red was not necessary for the performance of some cosmetic products, making the use non-essential. For other applications of Allura red, as well as all applications of benzophenone-4 and climbazole, the technical function of the chemical was considered necessary for the performance. Via the alternative’s assessment procedure, which used experimental and in silico data and three different multicriteria decision analysis (MCDA) strategies, safer alternatives were identified for all case-study chemicals. All assessed uses of PMT/vPvM substances were thus deemed non-essential and should consequently be phased out.

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• The essential-use concept: a valuable tool to guide decision-making on applications for authorisation under REACH?

  2023. Romain Figuière (et al.). Environmental Sciences Europe 35

  Article

  Background In 2020, the European Commission published the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) in which it aims to increase the level of protection for human health and the environment from hazardous chemicals. Part of the implementation of the CSS will involve a reform of the REACH authorisation and restriction processes. One option for the reform of the authorisation process is to implement the essential-use concept as a tool to guide decision-making on applications for authorisation to make the process more efficient and to align it with societal needs. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether changes in the legal text that defines the authorisation process, and of the amount and type of information that applicants should provide in an application for authorisation, are needed to enable an implementation of the essential-use concept.

  Results The results suggest that no fundamental changes in the regulatory requirements are needed and that applicants should already provide sufficient and relevant information to the authorities to determine if the use(s) applied for is (are) essential.

  Conclusions Although the REACH authorisation already provides a legal and practical basis for an implementation of the essential-use concept, the feasibility of the essentiality assessment and its potential to make the decision-making on applications more efficient are highly dependent on the quality of the information provided and the clearness of decision criteria. However, if an applicant successfully demonstrates that the risk related to the use(s) applied for is adequately controlled, it could not be legally justified for the European Commission to refuse an authorisation by arguing that the use(s) applied for is (are) non-essential.

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• Hazard screening of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in Sweden’s three largest lakes and their associated rivers

  2023. Daniel Malnes (et al.). Journal of Hazardous Materials 453

  Article

  Persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT) substances have recently garnered increased attention by environmental researchers, the water sector and environmental protection agencies. In this study, acute and chronic species sensitivity distributions (SSDs) were retrieved from literature data for previously quantified contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in Swedish surface waters (n = 92) and risk quotients (RQ) were calculated. To better understand the characteristics of the detected CECs in non-urban lake sites (n = 71), these compounds were checked against established criteria for potentially toxic PMs (PM(T)s) and occurrence in the aquatic environment, respectively. For the CECs with missing SSDs (n = 15 [acute], n = 41 [chronic]), ecotoxicity data were extracted for eight taxonomic groups, and if data were sufficient (n ≥ 3), SSDs were derived. The retrieved and newly developed SSDs were then used in an environmental hazard assessment (EHA) in the investigated Swedish rivers and lakes. In the rivers, 8 CECs had RQ> 1 in at least one location, and 20 CECs posed a moderate risk (0.01 < RQ < 1). In total, 21 of the 71 detected substances had already been identified as PM(T)/vPvM substances. Our study shows the importance of studying field data at large spatial scale to reveal potential environmental hazards far from source areas.

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• An Overview of Potential Alternatives for the Multiple Uses of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances

  2025. Romain Figuière (et al.). Environmental Science and Technology 59 (4), 2031-2042

  Article

  Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used in a wide range of different industrial and consumer applications. However, due to their extreme environmental persistence and their impacts on human and ecosystem health, PFAS have been subject to many regulatory activities, including initiatives to incentivize industry to transition toward PFAS-free alternatives. Although efforts have been made to map all uses of PFAS, work is still needed to provide an overview of their potential alternatives. Based on the functional substitution approach, this study develops an online database that documents all known uses of PFAS, describes the functions provided by PFAS in these uses, lists potential alternatives that can deliver equivalent or similar functions to PFAS, and evaluates the suitability of the identified alternatives to replace PFAS. Overall, the database lists 325 different applications of PFAS across 18 use categories. In total, 530 PFAS-free alternatives are identified. Based on a screening of potential concerns of the identified alternatives, their performance compared to PFAS, and their availability on the market, it is concluded that potentially suitable alternatives to PFAS are available for 40 different applications. For 83 applications, no alternatives could be identified at the time of the study and should be the focus of further research activities.

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• Data Requirements for Implementing the “Essential-Use” Concept in Chemical Legislation

  2025. Romain Figuière (et al.). Environmental Science and Technology 59 (22), 10770-10780

  Article

  The Stockholm Convention and the EU REACH Regulation are two key pieces of legislation on chemicals at the global and European levels, respectively. Discussions have taken place on revising them. For instance, the European Commission is considering implementing the “essential-use” concept in the REACH Regulation to guide decision-making for phasing-out the use of the most harmful chemicals. By assessing 34 existing cases under the Stockholm Convention and 45 restrictions and 544 applications for authorization under the REACH regulation (as of November 2023), this study aims to capture how the essential-use concept may inform decision-making on exemptions and provide insights on its implementation. By conducting a detailed case study of the REACH restriction on intentionally added microplastics, this study also aims to explore how the existing data requirements in regulatory processes could be used in an essentiality assessment. Overall, this study suggests that the Stockholm Convention and the REACH Regulation already consider elements of the concept in their decision-making and that no drastic changes in the data requirements are necessary to apply the concept in decision-making processes.

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• Identifying non-essential uses to phase out substances of very high concern under REACH

  2024. Flora Borchert (et al.). Frontiers in Toxicology 6

  Article

  The essential use concept aims to better protect consumers, vulnerable groups, and the environment from the most harmful chemicals by phasing out uses considered non-essential for society. Given the lack of empirical research evaluating this novel approach for chemical management in real-world settings, the aims of the present analysis were to 1) investigate if the information provided in applications for authorisation under REACH allowed for the identification of non-essential uses of substances of very high concern (SVHCs), and 2) identify data gaps, challenges and potential needs for revising the assessment criteria to effectively implement the essential use concept in the REACH authorisation. In total, 100 uses covering 11 SVHCs were analysed. 4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl) phenol (OPnEO) and chromium trioxide were among the most frequently used substances, covering 42% and 35% of the analysed uses. Using the current essential use criteria, 55% of all analysed uses were categorised as essential, while 10% were categorised as non-essential. Potentially, authorisations would not have been granted for the identified non-essential uses under REACH if the concept had been implemented at the time. However, for 35% of the uses it was not possible to assess their essentiality and these uses were therefore categorised as “complex.” These challenges were due to the multiple purposes of the technical function, lack of detailed information on the spectrum of end-uses, and difficulties in interpreting the essential use criteria. Consequently, for a successful implementation of the essential use concept, we recommend the European Commission to develop guidance for applicants and refine the essential use criteria to ensure a transparent and resource-efficient authorisation procedure under REACH.

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Show all publications by Romain Figuiere at Stockholm University