A framework for the risk assessment of fragrance materials

Over 2100 organic chemicals are listed in the Research Institute of Fragrance Materials/Flavor and Extract Manufacturers' Association (RIFM/FEMA) Database as available for use in consumer products as fragrance materials. These materials possess a wide range of physical-chemical properties and represent a variety of structural groups. Their use in consumer products results in their household disposal and addition to domestic wastewater. A screening level risk assessment procedure using quantitative structure activity relationships (QSARs) to model removal during sewage treatment and toxicity to freshwater aquatic organisms was developed. These QSARs are based on a material's physical and chemical properties and its reported volume of use. The resulting model outputs were used to calculate the ratio of Predicted Environmental Concentration (PEC) to Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC). Negligible environmental risk is defined by a resultant PEC to PNEC ratio below one. The framework incorporates procedures for using other available information as well as an optimized strategy for collecting new data that are needed to refine and improve the risk assessments. Of the greater than 2100 materials screened through this framework, less than 8% require further review for risk assessment refinement. The predicted PECs and PNECs were compared with those based upon measured environmental concentrations and toxicity data. A method validation was performed incorporating alternate models and measured environmental endpoints to assure that the framework did respond conservatively and did not assess a material as posing an acceptable environmental risk when it, in fact, posed a potentially unacceptable environmental risk. This validation confirmed the conservative nature of this framework. This framework is shown to be an effective and precautionary tool to quickly screen a large number of materials to predict their potential environmental risk.