The Column Model – Environmental Hazards (Part 4)

Black sewage is discharged into a lake

© wonderisland - stock.adobe.com

If you work with hazardous substances in your company, you have some obligations that are listed in the GefStoffV [1]. For example, you must check substitution possibilities for your hazardous substances. The column model of TRGS 600 [2], which I already discussed in earlier articles, will help you with this. Today I would like to deal with column 3 of the column model: the environmental hazards.

Environmental hazards (column 3)

After dealing with acute and chronic health hazards in the last two blog posts on the column model, we now switch to environmental hazards. As already described, the column model divides the hazards into the categories very high, high, medium, low and negligible. As with the health hazards, the classifications according to GHS are partly relevant for the classification, but there are other criteria. In the following, I would like to list some relevant properties and their classification in the column model. You can find the list of all points in TRGS 600.

Very high and high hazard

Substances with a very high environmental hazard are of course already defined as environmentally hazardous by their classification as acutely or chronically hazardous to water, category 1 (H400 or H410). However, substances with water hazard class 3 (this is a german regulation) and PBT or vPvB substances are also classified as very high environmental hazards.
For the classification as “High”, only two H statements are considered. On the one hand, chronically water-polluting substances of category 2 with H statement 411 are relevant. But substances with the label H420 (“Harms public health and the environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere.”) are also classified as high.

manage-hazarous-substances.

Medium and low hazard

Substances classified as chronically hazardous to waters, category 3 (H412), as well as substances with water hazard class 2 are considered as medium environmental hazards.
Now the chronic water hazard category 4 (H413) is still missing, as well as water hazard category 1. Substances with these properties have a low environmental hazard classification. Substances generally hazardous to water (awg) can also be found under “low”.

Negligible hazard

Substances defined as not hazardous to water (nwg) are also treated as negligible in terms of environmental hazards.

Conclusion

As you have already seen, the H statements are an important piece of information for classifying your hazardous substances in the column model. In addition, the water hazard class for environmental hazards provides a new criterion for classification. You are also welcome to visit the website of our GefStoff-Profi. There you will see how our GeSi³ software solution supports you in hazardous substance management.

[1]         Ordinance on Protection against Hazardous Substances (GefStoffV) (German version)

[2]        Technical rules for hazardous substances (Technische Regeln für Gefahrstoffe), TRGS 906 (German version), last modified 03/2007, BAuA website

Manage hazardous substances conveniently and easily with GefStoff-Profi!

With GefStoff-Profi you can manage hazardous substances
comfortably, automated and REACH-conform.