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5B a - RA: Ranking and Chemical Specific (TU6/5) Case Study: Use of the USEPA PBT Profiler to screen the chemical inventory of a consumer products company. Weeks, John1, Tunkel, Jay2, Martin, Frederick1, Guiney, Patrick1, 1 S.C. Johnson and Son, Inc., Racine, WI, USA2 Syracuse Research Corporation, Syracuse, NY, USA ABSTRACT- The USEPA recently released their PBT Profiler software and databases for public access. This software is an integrated set of screening tools designed to help the user identify PBT materials. A "PBT" is a chemical that persists (P) in the environment, has the potential to bioaccumulate (B) to relatively high levels, and is toxic (T). Because of their potential for harm to health or the environment, the use of PBTs is being restricted worldwide through the cooperation of chemical manufacturers, formulators, and regulatory bodies. In this case study, SC Johnson, in collaboration with the EPA and SRC, used the PBT Profiler to estimate the PBT characteristics for each raw material that it currently uses as well as for those that are being considered for future use. The PBT Profiler will provide an early assessment of a material's potential environmental impact, allowing SC Johnson to make more informed decisions and choices about materials in their products. Identification of chemical structures for input to the system was a non-trivial process. Some materials could not be profiled, but most could be screened, sometimes by using a set of representative structures. Substances identified by the Profiler as candidate PBTs were then subjected to an additional data search and evaluation. Some of the remaining materials were able to be ruled out as PBTs using expert judgement based on data for structurally similar chemicals. The result of the evaluation was a comparatively small set of chemicals that were able to be prioritized for further testing and / or elimination from the consumer product formulas. Key words: pbt, qsar, screening |
