Table 4 Conceptual comparison showing that PMT/vPvM substances pose an equivalent level of concern as PBT/vPvB substances
Criteria to assess | PBT/vPvB | PMT/vPvM |
|---|---|---|
Serious effects to human health | ||
 Poses a threat to human health? | Yes Accumulation in the food chain (exposure route) | Yes Accumulation in the water cycle (exposure route) |
 Irreversible health effects? | Yes Substances can bioaccumulate in humans; chronic and acute effects possible | Yes The continuous human exposure through drinking water intake and continuous remote aquatic ecosystem exposure due to mobility and over long time scales means chronic and acute effects are possible |
 Delayed health effects? | Yes Substances can continue to accumulate in humans long after emissions have ceased, causing chronic exposure effects to become more evident with time/age | Yes Exposure may occur even long after emissions have ceased, causing chronic exposure effects to become more evident with time/age |
 Impaired quality of life? | Yes Health effects (chronic or not) can impair quality of life | Yes Health effects (chronic or not) can impair quality of life, including fouling of drinking water (taste, odour, etc.) |
Serious effects to the environment | ||
 Irreversible exposure? | Yes Once the contamination is in the environment it cannot be removed and impacts cannot be mitigated by reducing pollution levels. Emissions from contaminated areas can be ongoing long after phase-out | Yes Once the contamination is in the environment it cannot be removed, particularly due to the lack of water treatment facilities. Emissions from contaminated areas can be ongoing long after phase-out |
 Irreversible effect? | Yes Both chronic and acute irreversible effects possible, depending on toxic profile | Yes Both chronic and acute irreversible effects possible, depending on toxic profile |
 Intergenerational exposure and effect? | Yes Effects are long term and felt over more than one generation due to persistency, such as exposure through lactation and food chain uptake | Yes Effects are long term and felt over more than one generation due to persistency, such exposure through lactation and exposure to the same aquatic media |
 Unknown/uncertain spatial scale? | Yes Bioaccumulation within the trophic food chain in an environmental compartment has complex dynamics | Yes Able to spread within aquatic compartments (such as ground water or surface water) to other environmental aquatic compartments relatively rapidly or over long distances |
 Disparity between point of release and point of effect? | Yes Release occurs at one point and effects are felt at different trophic food chain levels | Yes Release occurs at one point and effects are felt following transport to a new aquatic environmental compartment |
 Unknown/uncertain temporal scale? | Yes Long term effects unknown | Yes Long term effects unknown |
 Uncertain/difficult to predict long term fate and toxic effects? | Yes Long term fate unknown Long term toxic effect unknown Quantitative environmental risk assessment and a safe environmental concentration cannot be performed or defined | Yes Long term fate unknown Long term toxic effect unknown Quantitative environmental risk assessment and a safe environmental concentration cannot be performed or defined |
 Harmful to the aquatic environment? | Yes Far reaching effects (spread with aquatic biota and long-range transport) Effects on top predators of particular concern Low effect concentrations to aquatic organisms possible Mixture toxicities effects with other stressors cannot be ruled out | Yes Far reaching effects (spread directly via water) Can affect all aquatic trophic levels due to similar exposure Low effect concentrations to aquatic organisms possible Mixture toxicities effects with other stressors cannot be ruled out |
 Potential to reach remote pristine areas? | Yes Particulate and biota assisted transport within water bodies and atmosphere | Yes Transport across water bodies to pristine oceans, ground water or pristine lakes and watersheds |
Additional effects | ||
 Increased societal costs? | Yes Cost implications for society in terms of healthcare Cost implications for society in terms of harm to wider environment, e.g., contaminated land and sediment remediations | Yes Cost implications for society in terms of healthcare Cost implications for society in terms of harm to wider environment, e.g., contaminated soil and groundwater remediation Cost implications for drinking water treatment |
 Negative effect on resources? | Yes Food resources impaired via uptake in the food chain Land and sediment polluted by such substances comprised Potential impact on product recycling and the circular economy due to such substances impacting food resources | Yes Drinking water quality impaired (including taste, odour, resources for remediation having unfavourable outcomes) Makes recycling wastewater more problematic and expensive Land, ecosystem services and groundwater polluted by such substances and compromised Potential impact on product recycling and the circular economy, due to products with such substances contaminating water resources- |
 Do emissions need to be minimized? | Yes Mitigation measures must be put into place Accumulation in biota and toxic effects difficult to reverse | Yes Mitigation measures must be put into place Impacts on the drinking water sources and pristine ecosystems difficult to reverse |