Biocidal Products Directive Costs

CEFIC has estimated that more than 60% of the 2,000 biocidal active ingredients and of the 20,000 formulated biocidal products containing them currently marketed in the EU may eventually be withdrawn as a result of the implementation of the Biocidal Products Directive. Avecia believes the BPD is likely to restrict new product development and increase the costs of notifying and listing active substances, meaning that research on new actives will be difficult to justify. Avecia Protection Hygiene develops and produces antimicrobials for more than 25 applications in industrial preservation, disinfection, plastics, textiles and personal care, and it continues to develop new products. 

In the EU, antibacterial plastics could be classified as Biocidal Products rmder the Biocidal Products Directive (BPD) and the cost of registration could be as much as 200,000. 

The Directive (article 25) allows for full cost recovery and HSE s proposals are that this will be collected in two ways by fees and by a general industry charge (GIC). A fee will be charged to directly identifiable customers e.g. those who apply for authorisation of a biocidal product whilst the GIC will be payable by all with biocidal products on the market. It will cover the costs of work such as monitoring, specific biocides research work etc. it is likely to start on 14 May 2000. 

To be able to react increasingly effectively to microbial contamination in the production of millions of tonnes of mineral slurries per year, and to optimise the biocide consumption costs, a method which measures directly the total viable count in real-time is urgently required. Such a method is nearing completion in its development. 

---