Description:
In recent years, the international community has expressed increasing concerns regarding a group of substances classified as persistent, mobile, and toxic (PMT). These PMT substances (as well as very persistent, very mobile, or vPvM, substances) possess the properties of high solubility in water and low sorbability with soils and other particulate matter. As such, PMT and vPvM substances are considered a threat, particularly for the contamination of drinking water resources. The recent attention around PMT substances has led to rapid developments in regulatory policy, particularly in the European Union. In December 2022, the European Commission proposed an amendment to the Classification, Labeling, and Packaging (CLP) regulation that includes criteria for PMT and vPvM hazard classifications. This amendment was expected to go into force in early 2023. A revision to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation that is expected to introduce PMT and vPvM as classes of 'substances of very high concern' is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023. The EU is also chairing an informal United Nations working group to develop global PMT and vPvM criteria. This presentation will provide an overview of the PMT issue, including the implications of the new regulatory measures for chemicals and the products that contain them, as well as what product stewards can do to prepare for these developments.
