REACH Metals Gateway

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SpERCs tool for metals

For the environmental exposure assessment under REACH, the ECHA Guidance documents provide default worst-case release factors to the environmental compartments water, air and soil. These enable first tier emission estimates. However, due to the diverse processes, for the substances and uses that have to be covered, these default release factors often lead to significant over-estimation of releases and exposure concentrations. Such unrealistic predictions do not help in the efficient management of releases and risk.

The Specific Environmental Release Factors (SpERCS) for metals and metal compounds provide a more realistic approach to characterise the environmental releases from manufacture, processing and downstream uses of the metal (compounds) in the EU. A database consisting of more than 1,300 (1993-2010), site-specific measured release factors to air and water of 18 different metals (and their compounds), from various EU Member States was compiled. The metal SpERCs can be used as advanced tier instrument in environmental safety assessments, increasing the realism of the estimates while still keeping a sufficient level of conservatism. The individual SpERC fact sheets can be downloaded from the respective links below. Please always refer to the version number when using SpERCs.

The first version of the metal SpERCs was published in 2010 for the purpose of the 2010 REACH registration deadline and underwent a review process conducted by Lüskow et al. (2011) on behalf of the Federal Environment Agency of Germany (UBA). The second version of the metal SpERCs were improved based on the recommendations by Lüskow et al. (2011) and Sättler et al. (2012) and were further updated with new data for the purpose of the 2013 REACH registration deadline.  This second version underwent again a scientific review process and is published in Verdonck et al (2014).

The metal SpERCs can be used as advanced tier instrument in environmental safety assessments, increasing the realism of the estimates while still keeping a sufficient level of conservatism. Please always refer to the version number when using SpPERCs. 

A background document, the individual SpERC factsheet and the Chesar 3 SpERC files can be found on: https://arche-consulting.be/en/tools/spercs-tool-for-metals 

To be kept posted on future updates please email your contact details to Dr. Frederik Verdonck at frederik.verdonck@arche-consulting.be or visit: https://www.arche-consulting.be/tools/spercs-tool-for-metals 

 

Note that some SpERCs developed by other sector organisations can also be covering metals and metal compounds.

For example:

A.I.S.E. developed SpERCs for industrial use of metal salts in conversion coating and advice for users of SpERCs

Catalysts Europe developed a Manufacture of metal-containing catalysts: here 

Last page update: 17 October 2025