DIPPR ESP Product

DIPPR ESP is a validated database of Environmental and Safety Properties of chemicals, many of which fall under various regulations such as the EU's recently promulgated REACH initiative.

Sponsors of the DIPPR Elective Project are currently evaluating possible dissemination avenues for the results from this on-going activity.

The cost of doing business is getting higher..............

In June 2007, one of the most onerous sets of regulations to date for the chemical industry was launched.  These regulations are called REACH – theRegulation, Evaluation Authorization and restriction of CHemicals.   REACH covers tens of thousands of chemical substances used in Europe.  The European Commission estimates that it will cost the chemical industry $3 billion over the next 11 years.  One chemical company estimates it will spend $65 million dollars through 2018 to register its 2,500 chemicals under REACH[2]

While REACH originates in Europe, its impact extends globally because it affects any company that manufactures, imports or is a downstream user of chemical substances into Europe in volumes greater than one ton per year.

Under the REACH regulations, the chemical industry is required to register a chemical by submitting baseline information for substances produced or imported into Europe in quantities greater than one ton per year.  An estimated 30,000 of those chemicals will require further testing and risk assessment.  Substances of high environmental or health concern may become subject to authorization requirements or restriction in the marketplace.

The first data submittal under REACH includes the physical/chemical properties shown in Table 1 below.  There are a number of reasons that the values submitted should be carefully chosen:

• Values must be evaluated and “scored” to show their quality
• This property information will determine whether a substance will require further testing
• The information may be used to assess the substance’s risk
• If different values are submitted by different companies, each must be ready to defend the credibility of its value

DIPPR™ESP database is an excellent tool for providing many of the required physical/chemical properties.  It has ten of the thirteen properties in Table 1, and these values have been robustly reviewed and referenced.    While it currently houses data for more than 1,000 chemicals, we are adding new chemicals that are selected by the sponsoring companies. 

Contact the responsible REACH coordinator in your company to discuss the value of the DIPPR™ESP database for your company’s REACH submittal.  Please contact Jo Rogers at Jorogers@AICHE.org for questions or comments.

[2]From “Chemical Regulation” in Chemical & Engineering News, June 11, 2007http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/85/i24/8524notw7.html