PARC Projects

Address chemical pollution in the natural environment
Understanding volatile siloxanes in Europe to support regulation
Environment
Risk assessment
Time span
-
Partners involved
AU (DK)
INERIS (FR)
NILU (NO)
IVL (SE)
CSIC (ES)
UBA (DE)
MU (CZ)
ISCIII (ES)
WR (NL)
Contacts
Katrin Vorkamp (AU)
kvo [at] envs.au.dk
Valeria Dulio (INERIS)
Valeria.dulio [at] ineris.fr
Overview

This project targets siloxanes, especially the cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (CVMS) D4, D5 and D6 ↗, and selected linear volatile methylsiloxanes (LVMS), due to their high production volume and widespread in industrial and consumer use. These substances are recognised for their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Regulatory actions under REACH ↗ have already restricted their use in cosmetics, and discussions are ongoing about their classification as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention ↗.

To support future regulatory efforts, the project aims to generate high-quality environmental monitoring data on CVMS and LVMS. It addresses key knowledge gaps in their environmental fate, especially in air and wastewater, and explores their potential for long-range transport. The first project phase will assess the feasibility of robust siloxane measurements by reviewing and testing available sampling and analytical methods. Given the complexity of measuring siloxanes due to contamination risks and instability in sampling media, this phase is crucial to establish analytical reliability.

If successful, the second phase will implement a targeted monitoring campaign. Air, water, sediment, and biota samples will be collected to understand deposition pathways and environmental transport mechanisms. This work directly responds to identified regulatory needs in the Key Areas of Regulatory Challenge ↗ (KARC) and contributes to PARC’s future activities. It also supports improved risk assessments by focusing on environmental exposure and excluding biomonitoring, which remains analytically difficult for siloxanes. The project’s results will help inform EU-wide decisions and ensure appropriate regulatory action for siloxane management.

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Workers
Streamlining data processing methods for suspect and non-target screening
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Understanding volatile siloxanes in Europe to support regulation

Time span
-
AU (DK)
INERIS (FR)
NILU (NO)
IVL (SE)
CSIC (ES)
UBA (DE)
MU (CZ)
ISCIII (ES)
WR (NL)
Overview

This project targets siloxanes, especially the cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (CVMS) D4, D5 and D6 ↗, and selected linear volatile methylsiloxanes (LVMS), due to their high production volume and widespread in industrial and consumer use. These substances are recognised for their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation, and toxicity. Regulatory actions under REACH ↗ have already restricted their use in cosmetics, and discussions are ongoing about their classification as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the Stockholm Convention ↗.

To support future regulatory efforts, the project aims to generate high-quality environmental monitoring data on CVMS and LVMS. It addresses key knowledge gaps in their environmental fate, especially in air and wastewater, and explores their potential for long-range transport. The first project phase will assess the feasibility of robust siloxane measurements by reviewing and testing available sampling and analytical methods. Given the complexity of measuring siloxanes due to contamination risks and instability in sampling media, this phase is crucial to establish analytical reliability.

If successful, the second phase will implement a targeted monitoring campaign. Air, water, sediment, and biota samples will be collected to understand deposition pathways and environmental transport mechanisms. This work directly responds to identified regulatory needs in the Key Areas of Regulatory Challenge ↗ (KARC) and contributes to PARC’s future activities. It also supports improved risk assessments by focusing on environmental exposure and excluding biomonitoring, which remains analytically difficult for siloxanes. The project’s results will help inform EU-wide decisions and ensure appropriate regulatory action for siloxane management.

Contacts
Katrin Vorkamp (AU)
kvo [at] envs.au.dk
Valeria Dulio (INERIS)
Valeria.dulio [at] ineris.fr
Topics
Address chemical pollution in the natural environment
Keywords
Environment
Risk assessment

Related Projects

Roadmap linking chemical substances and health
Leveraging HBM4EU data for chemical safety and zero pollution in Europe
Developing a sustainable European human biomonitoring framework