PHASING OUT VERY DANGEROUS SUBSTANCES FROM
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Properties criteria
A product may qualify for registration in the database of the BASTA system if it meets some fundamental requirements in relation to environmental and health properties. These ´properties criteria´ are applicable to all types of construction products and apply to their properties on delivery to a construction site. They are stricter than the Swedish legislation and have been geared towards reducing the use of substances with particularly hazardous properties.
The properties criteria indicate a number of principal headings for undesirable properties. The criteria relate to both impact on the environment and on human health. The properties criteria are based on the properties identified in the forthcoming REACH regulation, plus the phase-out substances identified by the Swedish Parliament, lead, cadmium and mercury.
The criteria mean that products must not contain chemical substances (above stated concentrations) with the following properties:
- carcinogenic substances
- mutagenic substances category (cause heritable genetic damage)
- substances toxic to reproduction category (impair fertility)
- persistent or very persistent substances (low degradability)
- bioaccumulative or very bioaccumulative substances (accumulate in tissue)
The content of sensitising substances, solvents and acutely toxic substances is also limited in chemical products.
