Chemical Safety Assessment (CSA) for REACH

A Chemical Safety Assessment (CSA) is a mandatory requirement for all substances that are manufactured or imported in volumes equal to or greater than 10 tonnes per year and by downstream users if their uses are not addressed by their supplier.

The purpose of a CSA is to ensure that the risks related to the substance are controlled and is designed to address the manufacture of a substance and it’s intended uses. It is a vital component under REACH and must be documented in the chemical safety report (CSR) as part of the registration dossier.

The CSR will contain a detailed summary of information on the human health and environmental hazard properties of the substance, along with an assessment of exposure and risk where such an assessment is required. The CSA is not intended to report human health risks from end uses in food contact materials and in cosmetic products, as these are addressed under different legislation.

The chemical safety assessment of a substance includes:

• hazard, PBT (persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic) and vPvB (very persistent and very bioaccumulative) assessment
• exposure assessment including exposure scenario(s)
• risk characterisation

The results of a CSA can also be used to compile safety data sheets for information that will be passed down the supply chain.