The “One substance, one assessment” (1S1A or OSOA) assessment process is a commitment by the European Commission, expressed in the European Green Deal and detailed in the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainable Development. It was initiated several years ago. At the 6th Annual Forum on Endocrine Disruptors organised by the European Commission at the end of October 2024, An Jamers, from DG Environment’s Sustainable Chemicals Unit, presented an update on this initiative.
The basis for this initiative is an analysis of European chemical regulations carried out by the Commission a few years ago, and its observation that Europe has several dozen pieces of legislation on chemicals, covering all stages from the production of substances to their use, including the production of products, their use, their life cycle, emissions into the environment and their final status as waste.
The objectives
The Commission’s conclusion is that, although this framework is appropriate for the purpose, it allows different rules and practices to coexist, particularly where chemical safety or risk assessments are concerned. These are launched at different times by different players, and carried out by different players (agencies or scientific committees), with methodologies that are not always consistent and not entirely harmonised. Nor is harmonisation guaranteed when it comes to data availability and access.
The aim of the 1S1A initiative is therefore to synchronise and coordinate regulatory measures and safety assessments as far as possible, to have the tasks carried out by the parties best placed to make the best use of available resources and expertise, and to make methodologies consistent and harmonised. All this is achieved by applying the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and …
