The concept of targeted risk assessment

The hazard of a chemical refers to its inherent potential to cause an adverse effect, where the risk is the likelihood that this effect will occur under specific conditions of use and exposure.

HERA focuses on the use of chemicals in household cleaning products, assessing potential risks to consumers and the environment under typical usage conditions.

The HERA assessement

 The HERA assessments, or targeted assessments, therefore, evaluate both the hazard and the exposure to humans and the environment. This dual consideration is essential: hazard alone is not sufficient to determine safety. In fact, the actual risk posed by a chemical can be assessed only by combining hazard data with realistic exposure scenarios.

These assessments are conducted following a standardized, transparent methodology, mainly based on the EU TGD, that facilitates communication with regulators and the public. They are designed to be practical, science-based, and aligned with broader EU regulatory frameworks.

The outcome of the HERA process is the delivery of risk assessment reports in a standard and practical format. Publication of the procedures and the assessments allows for better transparency.

The assessements

HERA completed 36 risk assessments, covering more than 250 chemical substances and accounting for more than 90% of the total tonnage of chemicals used in detergent and household cleaning products in Europe.

Substance selection is based on multiple criteria, including:

  • High volumes
  • Main or sole use in detergents and cleaning products
  • Representation across key functional categories (e.g., surfactants, builders, bleaches)
  • Diverse hazard profiles to ensure comprehensive risk coverage
  • Inclusion of substances in EU Priority Lists
  • Alignment with other international programs
  • Potential concerns identified by HERA experts

 

The project was divided into 3 phases:

Phase 1 covered substances representing 73% of laundry detergent tonnage in Europe, covering more than 100 CAS numbers. Phase 2 and 3 expands to additional functions, excluding the ones that are covered elsewhere in obligatory or voluntary programmes:

The HERA risk assessment concept in a nutshell:

✲ Hazard is the intrinsic ability to cause adverse effect, where risk is the probability that such effect will occur.

✲ HERA carefully defines exposure to certain chemicals within detergent scenarios.

✲ Combining this exposure with the intrinsic properties of the chemicals allows to estimate the risk associated with product usage.