Marine litter plastics and microplastics and their toxic chemicals components: the need for urgent preventive measures.

Persistent plastics, with an estimated lifetime for degradation of hundreds of years in marine conditions, can break up into micro- and nanoplastics over shorter timescales, thus facilitating their uptake by marine biota throughout the food chain. These polymers may contain chemical additives and contaminants, including some known endocrine disruptors that may be harmful at extremely low concentrations for marine biota, thus posing potential risks to marine ecosystems, biodiversity and food availability. Although there is still need to carry out focused scientific research to fill the knowledge gaps about the impacts of plastic litter in the marine environment (Wagner et al.

Substitution for hazardous chemicals on an international level--the approach of the European project "SUBSPORT".

The systematic description and promotion of substitution options and processes is an underdeveloped and often missing element in chemical management and chemical policy discussions. This article describes major barriers and drivers for substitution, and concludes that more specific information can be an essential instrument to overcome those barriers. It also explains the development and features of a large information tool under development called SUBSPORT, an abbreviation for Substitution Support Portal.

Trade Union Priority List for REACH authorisation.

Background: The new EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances (REACH) Regulation to control the trade and use of chemicals has a great potential to reduce worker exposure to hazardous substances and therefore reduce chemical-related occupational diseases. REACH requires manufacturers of substances of very high concern (SVHC) to request an authorisation for each use of these substances in order to continue marketing them. There are between 1500 and 2000 SVHC on the European market; however, to date, the European Chemicals Agency has published only 29 substances as candidates for the authorisation procedure.