Frequently Asked Questions

Technical FAQs

Information about Chesar 3 known issues can be found in the latest versions Release Notes.

 

6. Can I connect Chesar to IUCLID in the cloud?

Chesar 3 (both the desktop and the server version) is designed to connect to the IUCLID Cloud Services hosted by ECHA. More information on how to establish this connection can be found in the help text embedded in the application (available on the tab “Import IUCLID substance dataset via web service” found in box 1 “Substance management”), in the installation manuals and in this video. To learn how to synchronise Chesar with IUCLID Cloud, watch this video.

If you have problems connecting to IUCLID in ECHA Cloud Services, please contact our Helpdesk.

Chesar 3 has not been tested in other cloud environments.

5. Why is Chesar server version failing to deploy after upgrading to IUCLID 6.4.14 or IUCLID 6.5.2?

IUCLID 6.4.14 and 6.5.2 packages bundle a new application server, Payara v4 that replaces the previous GlassFish v4. See IUCLID release notes.

Payara v4 is not supported by Chesar 3. Therefore, you cannot deploy and run any version of Chesar in the same application server that comes with IUCLID 6.4.14, 6.5.x and 6.6.x Chesar should be deployed to a separate instance of Glassfish/Tomcat application server.

4. How can I check if Chesar is compatible with IUCLID?

When a new Chesar version is released, full compatibility is ensured only with the newest IUCLID version available at that time. However, some workarounds may ensure the compatibility also with the previous IUCLID version as indicated below. The following table gives an overview of the compatibility between Chesar and IUCLID.

 

Chesar version

IUCLID version

Conditions for compatibility

Workaround to allow compatibility

6.8 x (from 6.8.0.2)

Fully compatible

3.9

6.7.x

6.6.x

6.5.x

Not compatible

The export to IUCLID does not work

3.8

6.8.x (from 6.8.0.2)

Compatible (see notes)

The generation of the full CSR may fail when text with a specific formatting (bold characters) is entered in specific IUCLID rich text areas. If this happens, please contact the Chesar helpdesk.

6.7.x

Fully compatible

6.6.x

6.5.x

Compatible (see note)

The export of the uses to IUCLID is failing when the following picklist items are selected from the field “Regulatory status” in box 2 of Chesar 3.8

  • Use subject to authorisation (REACH Art. 56) [EU]
  • Use in food contact materials within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (REACH Art. 14(5), 56(5)(b)) [EU]
  • Use in medical devices regulated by the EU medical devices legislation (REACH Art. 60(2) 2nd subparagraph and Art. 62(6)) [EU]
  • Use of the substance in mixtures below the concentration limit specified in REACH Art. 56(6) [EU]
  • Use subject to authorisation (REACH Art. 56) [EU]

3.7

3.6

6.6.x

6.5.x

Fully compatible

 

6.4.x

Compatible (see note)

The new Chesar 3.6 functionality of filling in the information in part A of the CSR directly in Chesar during the generation of the full CSR is not available.

6.3.x

Compatible (see note)

The functionalities in Chesar 3.6 to:

  • attach the CSR generated and prefill the relevant information in IUCLID section 13.1
  • fill in the information in part A of the CSR directly in Chesar during the generation of the full CSR

will not work.

3.5

6.6.x 6.5.x
6.4.x

Fully compatible

 

6.3.x

Compatible (see note)

The new functionality in Chesar 3.5 to attach the CSR generated and prefill the relevant information in IUCLID section 13.1 will not work.

3.4

6.6.x 6.5.x
6.4.x

Compatible (see note)

If in IUCLID 6 the picklist entry “not biodegradable” is selected in the endpoint summary 5.2.1 “Biodegradation in water: screening tests”, then in Chesar 3.4 the corresponding field in Box 1 will remain empty. This minor glitch will have no impact on the assessment and on the information reported in the full CSR generated from Chesar. In addition for 6.4.x only, when generating the full CSR from Chesar, some URL addresses may appear (which are displayed as a link in the CSR generated from Chesar 3.5), that point to the relevant place in the IUCLID web user interface.

6.3.x

Fully compatible

 

6.2.0

The compatibility is broken when the user enters some text in the field “Other description” for PROC 0, PC 0, AC 0 in Chesar Box 2 and tries to synchronise the uses with IUCLID 6.2.

Users should temporarily delete the “Other description” texts from Chesar, proceed with the synchronisation, add the “Other description” manually to IUCLID and finally retype it to Chesar.

3.3

6.6.x 6.5.x
6.4.x
6.3.x

Not compatible

 

6.2.0

Fully compatible

 

6.1.3

The compatibility is broken when the user enters the “Regulatory status” for a use in Chesar box 2 and tries to synchronise the uses with IUCLID 6.1.3.

Users should delete the “regulatory status” in Chesar, proceed with the synchronisation, set the “regulatory status” in IUCLID and finally re-set it in Chesar.

3.2

6.6.x 6.5.x
6.4.x
6.3.x
6.2.0

Not compatible

 

6.1.3

Fully compatible

 

6.1.2

Fully compatible

 

 

3. Which are the software requirements (java/database server/application server/browser) of Chesar? And how can I know which version is compatible with it?

To run Chesar you need java, a database server and an application server. For the Chesar desktop package there is no need to install these separately, as they are included in the package. For a Chesar server installation, (some of) this software will need to be installed separately. More details on the software requirements can be found in the relevant Chesar installation manual, available in the Manuals/Tutorials page. Installation manuals for older versions of Chesar can be found by going to the relevant tool download page.

2. If I have some files in Chesar 2.3 format, can I import them directly in the newest version of Chesar 3? 

No, it is not possible.

If you are using a Chesar Desktop application, you need to import your Chesar 2.3 chr files one by one in Chesar 3.0. Once the files have been imported into Chesar 3.0, you can upgrade Chesar 3.0 to the newest version of Chesar 3 (Chesar 3.x).

If you have a Chesar Server application, you can migrate the whole Chesar 2.3 database to Chesar 3.x following these two steps:

  1. With the Chesar 3 migration tool, you migrate Chesar 2.3 database into an empty database (or database schema if you are using Oracle). After the migration, the destination database (or schema in Oracle) will contain data in Chesar 3 format.
  2. Connect Chesar 3.x to the migrated database.

The Chesar 3 migration tool is available for download at https://chesar.echa.europa.eu

A detailed description of the migration from Chesar 2.3 to Chesar 3 is available in the Chesar 3 installation manual (https://chesar.echa.europa.eu/download-chesar-3.0)

1. Chesar 3 does not connect to IUCLID 6. How can I check and set up the web service connection?

Please read carefully the following points:

  • Make sure that IUCLID 6 is running when attempting to connect. Irrespective of whether you are using Chesar 3 Desktop or Server version, Chesar can connect to either IUCLID 6 Server or Desktop application.
  • Check the IUCLID version you are working with: not all versions of IUCLID 6 and Chesar 3 work together. More information on the compatibility between different versions of IUCLID and Chesar can be found in the related FAQ.
  • Make sure that you have entered the right connection properties in Chesar Box 1 under the Web service connection settings. The connection string to IUCLID (IUCLID URL) should be in the following format: http://<IUCLID6 Server URL>:<port> or https://<IUCLID6 Server URL>:<https port>
  • Check that IUCLID 6 runs on the same computer as Chesar 3. If so and if the default IUCLID 6 ports are used (8080 for http and 8181 for https), the IUCLID 6 URL’s to be indicated in Chesar box 1 would be: http://localhost:8080  and  https://localhost:8181


If IUCLID 6 is not using the default ports, to determine the port numbers:

  1. Open the IUCLID 6 configuration file domain.xml with a browser:

    <IUCLID6 installation folder>\glassfish4\glassfish\domains\domain1\config\domain.xml

  2. Find ports for the network listeners http-listener-1 and http-listener-2 under “server-config”.

Http-listener-1 defines HTTP port and http-listener-2 HTTPS port (SSL). In the example above:

  1. HTTP port is 8080
  2. HTTPS port is 8181

 

Support - Frequently asked scientific questions

Scientific FAQs

 

26. How can I ensure the synchronisation of my exposure scenarios in the CSR generated by Chesar with the use description in IUCLID? Which option shall I choose in Box 4 of Chesar?

Synchronising in the right way Chesar with IUCLID is fundamental to have the full alignment between the use description in IUCLID and the exposure scenarios in the CSR when using Chesar. To have the same use description in IUCLID and in the exposure scenarios in the CSR when using Chesar, we recommend starting by describing the uses in Chesar.

Once all your uses have been assessed in Chesar, they can be transferred into IUCLID using the export function in Box 4 by selecting the option Remove all existing uses. This option will:

  • Transfer (or update if already existing) into IUCLID section 3.5.all uses reported in Chesar
  • Remove the existing use (if any) in IUCLID

Remember that you should always export again the uses to IUCLID whenever have updated your use description and/or your assessment Chesar by using the same "Remove all existing uses" option. Only by doing this, you will ensure that your use description in IUCLID and the exposure scenarios in the CSR remain aligned and you would avoid failing the CSR technical completeness check that ECHA performs in the REACH registration dossiers.

If in your section 3.5 of IUCLID you have additional uses that are not to be assessed in Chesar see the FAQ “How should I report uses/contributing activities that do not require an exposure assessment in Chesar” and “I synchronised the Chesar uses in IUCLID. How and where should I add a use as intermediate in strictly controlled condition that do not need to be assessed in Chesar?”. 

If you are a lead registrant and have uses that have different type of “related assessment” values (for example both joint and own uses) see FAQ "I am a lead registrant and I need to generate both an own CSR and a joint CSR. How can I use Chesar to ensure that the use description in IUCLID and in the CSR are aligned and consistent with the exposure scenarios?"

25. I am a lead registrant and I need to generate both an own CSR and a joint CSR. How can I use Chesar to ensure that the use description in IUCLID and in the CSR are aligned and consistent with the exposure scenarios?

If you are a lead registrant and you need to prepare both a joint and an own CSR, you will have to create 2 CSAs in Chesar, one for the joint uses, and the other for your own ones.

Chesar is by default creating “own” CSAs. To flag that the CSA is joint, you need to tick the checkbox “joint” in the CSA editable window in box 1. The only difference between joint/own CSA is the information that will populate the field “related assessment” in IUCLID section 3.5. This IUCLID field indicates if the use is assessed i) in an own CSR, ii) joint CSR or iii) does not need to be assessed. This field is the trigger (used by Chesar and/or IUCLID) to determine whether a use is to be reported in section 2 of the automatically generated CSR.

Once you finalised your joint CSA: in box 4, export your uses by using “Remove all existing uses” (see “How can I ensure the synchronisation of my exposure scenarios in the CSR generated by Chesar with the use description in IUCLID? Which option shall I choose in Box 4 of Chesar?"). IUCLID will then only contain uses flagged as “joint use” in the “related assessment” field.

Proceed to the “full CSR generation” from Chesar box 4 to generate your joint CSR (and related part A). Contextually, Chesar will also create a new record in IUCLID section 13, documenting the required information fields and including the Joint CSR document.

Note that in IUCLID “related assessment” field there is also the option “use assessed in a joint CSR but not a lead’s own use”, that may be used by the leads to clarify in the CSR that one or more uses are not to be considered his own use, although assessed as part of the joint CSR.

Then proceed with your own CSA: after finalising it in Chesar, export your own uses by selecting the option “Remove all uses from IUCLID identified as "use assessed in an own CSR" in the field "Related assessment" and which have not been previously exported from Chesar” (see FAQ 1 for more details). By selecting this option, you will keep the previously exported joint uses and have a complete use description in IUCLID (covering both joint and own uses). Then proceed with the generation of your “own” CSR from Chesar box 4 (with the related part A); also in this case, Chesar will create a new record in IUCLID section 13, including your “own” CSR document.

A good practice is always to check the content of the generated CSR and ensure that the information contained is reflecting your actual situation.

24. How should I report uses/contributing activities that do not require an exposure assessment in Chesar?

In case an exposure assessment is not required for a specific use, for example, because the concentration of the substance in the product/mixture used is below the threshold described in article 14 (2) then it is suggested to document this information in the following way in Chesar 3

  • create the corresponding use in the life cycle tree and assign a clear and descriptive name to the use
  • provide the justification for the absence of the exposure assessment in the “Further description of the use” field. More information on the content of justifications can be found in section 4 of "Information on manual verification at completeness check "
  • provide information that is required in IUCLID section 3.5 to make a technically complete dossier (e.g., technical function of the substance during use)
  • create the corresponding contributing activities (to make a technically complete dossier when exporting your uses from Chesar to IUCLID)
  • export your uses from Chesar into IUCLID

In case the exposure assessment is not required for a specific contributing scenario within one use, for example, direct exposure of consumers due to use of cosmetic products, it is suggested to document this information in the following way in Chesar 3:

  • create the corresponding use in the life cycle tree and assign a clear and descriptive name to the use
  • provide information that is required in IUCLID section 3.5 to make a technically complete dossier
  • create the corresponding contributing activity
  • provide the justification for the absence of the exposure assessment in the “Explanation for CSR contributing scenario” field
  • export your uses from Chesar into IUCLID.
23. I synchronised the Chesar uses in IUCLID. How and where should I add a use as intermediate in strictly controlled condition that do not need to be assessed in Chesar?

After synchronisation with Chesar, if needed, you may add in IUCLID uses as intermediate in strictly controlled conditions registered under article 17/18 of REACH regulation).

When reporting such uses in IUCLID you should be careful in choosing the picklist “does not need to be assessed” in the “related assessment” IUCLID field. Note that for uses exported from Chesar to IUCLID, this field is always automatically filled-in in IUCLID, based on the selection made in the CSA management tab in Box 1 of Chesar (by default, Chesar sets all new CSA as own CSA ”.

When you need to synchronise again the uses from Chesar to IUCLID, to maintain the uses that have been added in IUCLID only, we recommend choosing the Chesar box 4 option "Remove all uses from IUCLID identified as "use assessed in an own [joint] CSR" in the field "Related assessment" and which have not been previously exported from Chesar".
This option will:

  • Transfer (or update if already existing) all uses into IUCLID section 3.5.
  • Maintain any previously existing use in IUCLID for which the “related assessment” field is set differently compared to what is set in your Chesar CSA (i.e. if you are exporting uses belonging to an “own” CSA, then all IUCLID uses flagged as “joint” or “use not assessed” or without any selection in the “related assessment field” will be maintained in IUCLID).

We strongly discourage to use the option Update uses that have a corresponding use in Chesar and keep all other existing uses, to avoid creating inconsistency in your IUCLID section 3.5.

22. When reporting an assessment made with ART in a version of Chesar starting from 3.6, I noticed that some conditions of use (CoU) are automatically added, which may not be relevant to my assessment or are not compatible with others. Is there any guidance on this?

When ART is selected as external estimation tool in Chesar 3.6 or newer, after pressing the button “(Re)set relevant default CoU”, the full list of CoU related to the specific ART activity class selected is systematically added. The assessor should review the CoU displayed and, if needed, delete the ones that are not relevant for that scenario. The CoU which should be present in Chesar, should reflect the input used to perform the assessment in ART.

To help users avoid wrong combinations of CoU, it is highly recommended to consult (and apply) the rules indicated in the table below:

Combination of CoU/values that are not compatible when using ART

CoU Rule
Room ventilation Not relevant if Place of use = Outdoor
Personal enclosure Relevant if Distance of workers to the source = ≥1 m
Segregation of the source Relevant if Distance of workers to the source = ≥1 m
Distance of the source to buildings Relevant if Place of use = Outdoor
Downward laminar flow booth Relevant if Room ventilation = Down-flow spray room

Moreover, to ensure a higher level of consistency, the rules indicated in the following second table may be considered when proceeding with an assessment with ART.

Additional rules that ensure consistency when using ART

 

CoU Rule
Containment Not relevant if Place of use = Outdoor
Suppression techniques for solid products Relevant if Physical form of the product = Solid object or solid (all levels of dustiness)
Vapour recovery system Relevant if Physical form of the product = Liquid, including paste/slurry/suspension
21. Why has a change in the TRA worker exposure estimation logic been introduced in Chesar 3.5 for the use of assessment entities (parallel assessment)?

Chesar 3.5 introduces a change in the logic of calculating the workers exposure concentration when assessment entities exist.

The change and its possible consequences on the exposure estimate are described in the FAQ “What is the difference between the calculations of workers exposure when assessment entity exists (parallel assessment) between Chesar 3.5 and previous versions of Chesar?”

This change has been introduced after analysing feedback received from Chesar users. For substances assessed via the assessment entity approach, the calculation of the workers exposure concentrations in previous versions of Chesar (until Chesar 3.4) was not in line with the principles of ECETOC TRA, leading to an underestimation of the exposure. After a careful investigation, we decided to implement the change in the ECETOC TRA worker module of Chesar 3.5.

Chesar 3.5 is now aligned with exposure modifier approach for concentration as applied in the TRA.

As a consequence of this change, the worker exposure estimate for complex substances done with previous versions of Chesar will change when upgrading to Chesar 3.5. The change may impact on the risk characterisation conclusion. Depending on the extent to which the risk characterisation has changed, you may need to update the operational condition / risk management measures (OC/RMM) for demonstrating control of risk.

20. What is the difference between the calculations of workers exposure when assessment entities exist (parallel assessment) between Chesar 3.5 and previous versions of Chesar?

As a general information, to obtain ECETOC TRA exposure estimates in Chesar, a number of steps are taken:

  • The ECETOC TRA algorithm estimates the “Initial exposure concentration” values based on the substance properties (molecular weight, physical form and vapour pressure) and the PROC selection.
  • These initial exposure concentration values are then multiplied with the relevant exposure modifiers in order to obtain the final exposure concentration values. One of these exposure modifiers is the “Concentration of the substance in the product”.

What has changed in Chesar 3.5 is the calculation of this “exposure modifier for concentration” for substances where assessment entities exist.

Until Chesar 3.4, the workflow was the following:

  • First, the value from the Chesar condition of use “Percentage (w/w) of substance in mixture/article” (set in the TRA worker dataset) was assigned to one of the concentration bands of the TRA parameter (>25%, 5-25%, 1-5%, <1%).
  • The exposure modifier for concentration (for the registered substance as a whole) was then calculated according to the following table:

     

    Concentration Exposure modifier for concentration
    If Concentration = “Substance not in mixture” 1
    If Concentration = “>25%” 1
    If Concentration = “5-25%” 0.6
    If Concentration = “1-5%” 0.2
    If Concentration = “<1%” 0.1

     

  • For complex substances (i.e. when parallel assessment happens), the final exposure estimates returned by TRA workers (where the exposure modifier above has been applied to the registered substance as a whole) were then (linearly) corrected. This correction was made with the percentage of each assessment entity (AE) in the assessment entity group (AEG) (visible in Box 1) used for the assessment, to obtain an exposure estimate for each AE .

In Chesar 3.5, no changes have been introduced in the calculations of the initial exposure concentrations. However, the place in the process where the correction for the percentage of the AE in the AEG takes place has been changed for substances where assessment entities exist.

Once the initial exposure concentrations have been calculated, the following steps are taken:

  • First, the percentage of each AE in the AEG used for the assessment is multiplied with the percentage of the substance in the mixture (= the % indicated in the condition of use “Percentage (w/w) of the substance in the mixture/article” at worker contributing activity level) in order to generate the percentage of each AE in the mixture . So the (linear) correction is now done as a first step instead of at the end.
    The resulting percentage of the AE in the mixture is included as read-only in each TRA worker dataset under the TRA specific parameters and called “Percentage (w/w) of <assessment entity name> in mixture/article”.
  • This % of AE in mixture is then mapped to one of the concentration bands of the TRA parameter as follows:

     

    Percentage (w/w) of AE in mixture Concentration
    If % of AE in mixture >= 100 Substance not in mixture
    If 25 < % of AE in mixture < 100 >25%
    If 5 < % of AE in mixture <= 25 5-25%
    If 1 < % of AE in mixture <= 5 1-5%
    If % of AE in mixture <= 1 <1%

     

  • The resulting concentration band is then used to determine the “exposure modifier for concentration” according to the following table (no changes from the current implementation).

     

    Concentration Exposure modifier for concentration
    If Concentration = “Substance not in mixture” 1
    If Concentration = “>25%” 1
    If Concentration = “5-25%” 0.6
    If Concentration = “1-5%” 0.2
    If Concentration = “<1%” 0.1

     

  • Finally the “exposure modifier for concentration” is multiplied (together with the other TRA exposure modifiers) with the initial exposure estimates to generate the final exposure estimate for each AE in the AEG.

As a consequence of this change, the worker assessment of complex substances done with previous versions of Chesar will need to be reviewed when updating to Chesar 3.5.

As the conservativeness has been increased, you may be confronted with higher exposure estimates for the assessment entities and for the substance as a whole. The largest impact is expected for assessment entities where the percentage of the assessment entity in the mixture/article is low (i.e. falling in the lowest concentration band in ECETOC TRA) and in cases where the method for calculating the RCR across assessment entities is set to “Summed RCR”. We are aware that in some cases you will now be confronted with RCRs above 1 and that this change may present an assessment challenge. If safe use cannot be demonstrated with ECETOC TRA, the use of other (higher tier) tools which apply a linearized approach to correct for concentration in the mixture/article (as opposed to the banding used in ECETOC TRA) may offer a solution.

19. What happens in Chesar if I want to use a TRA subcategory but want to modify the default input values?

When developing Chesar 3.3, ECHA agreed with ECETOC that when a user selects a TRA subcategory the values of the various parameters cannot be modified. The only exception is the percentage of the substance in the mixture/article, which can always be edited. This approach was preferred as

  1. it is more consistent with the SCED approach and
  2. it allows for a more transparent reference to a TRA subcategory with a set of default values proposed by ECETOC.

If assessors want to use different values as input in Chesar, they should switch to a manual assessment. In Chesar 3.3, when switching from “TRA subcategory” to “manual assessment” while working with a TRA subcategory, the link to the TRA subcategory is lost. However, if needed, you may refer to it in your explanation for CSR for some conditions of use if you want to justify some “TRA subcategory” values.

When doing this switch, in some cases you may find that your dermal exposure estimates become 10 times higher than what they were when you used the subcategory. This difference is the result of the agreement mentioned above and only affects the following TRA subcategories:

  • PC3, Aircare continuous action (solid & liquid)
  • AC5/ AC5g, Bedding, mattress
  • AC6, Purse, wallet, covering steering wheel (car)
  • AC6/ AC6f, Footwear (shoes, boots)
  • AC6/ AC6e, Furniture (sofa)
  • AC8/ AC8f2, Printed paper (papers, magazines, books)
  • AC10/ AC10e/ AC10g, Rubber handles, tyres
  • AC10/ AC10a, Flooring
  • AC10/ AC10f, Footwear (shoes, boots)
  • AC10/ AC10b, Rubber toys
  • AC11/ AC11e, Furniture (chair)
  • AC11/ AC11a, Walls and flooring (also applicable to non-wood materials)
  • AC11/ AC11b, Small toys (car, train)
  • AC11/ AC11f, Toys, outdoor equipment
  • AC13/ AC13a/ AC13e/ AC13g, Plastic, larger articles (plastic chair, PVC-flooring, lawn mower, PC)
  • AC13/ AC13b, Toys (doll, car, animals, teething rings)
  • AC13/ AC13f, Plastic, small articles (ball pen, mobile phone)

This difference is caused by a TRA parameter not visible in Chesar called Thickness of Layer (TL), which is not modifiable (neither in Chesar nor in TRA). For dermal exposure assessment of mixtures the TRA tool assumes that a layer (TL) of 0.01 cm of a mixture interacts with the skin, and the substance amount contained in this layer is, by default, immediately and completely transferred to the skin (i.e. dermal transfer factor set to 1). For the TRA subcategories mentioned above, this concept is also applied, but a reduced thickness of layer of 0.001 cm has been set to account for the reduced mobility of substances in the article matrix. When switching from one of these TRA subcategories to a manual assessment, the TL is automatically changed from 0.001 cm to the default 0.01 cm, and this is what causes the estimates to become 10 times higher. Depending on how your manually assessed use-scenario differs from that covered in the TRA subcategory, you may conclude that the TL of 0.001 is still more appropriate for your case than the default of 0.01.

Bear in mind that you may encounter this issue also when migrating from Chesar 3.2 to Chesar 3.3. In Chesar 3.2 it was possible to change some of the default values when a subcategory was selected (as is the case in ECETOC TRA). In case you had modified any of the editable parameters (e.g. amount of product used per application, body parts potentially exposed etc.) in Chesar 3.2, a switch to “manual assessment” takes place during migration to Chesar 3.3. As a consequence, there is no longer a reference to the subcategory and, if you used one of the TRA subcategories listed above, the TL is set to 0.01, and the dermal exposure estimate is 10 times higher than the value provided in Chesar 3.2.

18. What is the benefit of using the ESCom standard phrase catalogue? Where can I find it in Chesar format?

The ESCom phrase catalogue supports the IT exchange of ES information via ESComXML and the harmonisation of communication downstream in the supply chain. If translations of the ESCom phrase catalogue are available, the exposure scenarios to be communicated in the extended SDS can be automatically generated in various languages.

More information on the ESCom package as well as the latest version of the ESCom standard phrase catalogue in Chesar format can be found here.

17. Is it possible to extend or complement a standard phrase with free text in Chesar?

No, in Chesar you can use either a standard phrase or free text. A combination of the two is not allowed.

16. Where can I find use maps in Chesar format? Is there a list already published?

Registrants will be able to find use maps generated by downstream user sector organisations in Chesar format (when available) on http://echa.europa.eu/csr-es-roadmap/use-maps.­ Use maps are developed by sector organisations and are only hosted by ECHA in a centralised place.

15. Which information is transferred to IUCLID 6 when exporting the uses from Chesar?
All the fields describing the uses and contributing activities are imported into IUCLID section 3.5 once you click the “Export uses to IUCLID” button in Chesar Box 4. More specifically, all conditions of use, releases and exposure estimates will populate the related fields in the contributing scenarios tabs (for environment, workers and consumers) in IUCLID section 3.5. Additionally, information on environmental assessment from aggregated sources will populate the related fields in IUCLID section 3.7. If information on use description is added or modified once the uses from Chesar have been exported to IUCLID, the information in IUCLID will be overwritten when the uses are exported again.
14. How can I assess a use at an elevated operating temperature in Chesar with ECETOC TRA for a liquid substance?
When ECETOC TRA is used for the exposure assessment at an elevated operating temperature (>40°C), for liquid the tool automatically selects the higher volatility band to perform the calculations. You can manually adjust the vapour pressure at the relevant (elevated) temperature by overwriting the value under the “TRA specific parameters” section in the TRA edit view in Chesar Box 3.
13. Is Chesar 3 able to calculate exposure estimates for solid substances?

Chesar 3 has EUSES (for environment) and ECETOC TRA (for workers, consumers) plugged in for exposure estimation.

  • EUSES supports the assessment of solid substances, as soon as basic substance properties (Molecular weight, melting point, solubility, vapour pressure, partition coefficient octanol water and biodegradation screening tests) are provided. Therefore, even for solid substances, a vapour pressure must be provided to obtain EUSES exposure estimates.
  • TRA consumers does not have specific limitations for solid substances.
  • TRA workers supports the exposure assessment of solid as such or in solid mixture. The exposure estimates are calculated based on the level of dustiness of the product used. Chesar 3.3 supports the exposure assessment of solids in liquid mixtures. For more information refer to “Targeted Risk Assessment: Further Explanation of the Technical Basis of the TRA v.3.1 - Technical Report No. 131", ECETOC, 2018
12. How can I assess a solid substance processed at high temperatures?
When the operating temperature is below the melting point for a solid substance, the substance is considered as solid and the provision of TRA workers 3.0 for solid substances are applied (exposure estimates are calculated based on the level of dustiness of the substance). If the operating temperature is above the melting point, the substance is considered in Chesar as liquid, and TRA workers 3.0 for liquid is applied for exposure estimation, which means that the exposure is a function of the vapour pressure.
11. Is Chesar 3 capable of performing a cumulative worker/consumer assessment?
No. However, you can report the relevant information in Chesar Box 4 in the “Workers combined risks” field in section 10.1.
10. How does Chesar facilitate the assessment of substances with many constituents such as UVCBs or substances transforming in the environment or upon use?

Chesar 3 has the possibility ­­to assess “complex substances” such as substances with many constituents (including UVCBs) and substances which transform by the use of Assessment Entity Groups (AEG). The prerequisite is to create assessment entities in section 0.4 of IUCLID 6 (you can find more information in IUCLID manual for registration https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/22308542/manual_regis_and_ppord_en.pdf).

These will be imported with your substance properties data in Chesar through the web service. The assessment entities can then be used to create AEG which can be used for the assessment. For more information on how to define the AEG refer to Chesar help text in Chesar Box 1. You may also get more information in part D of the Guidance on Chemical safety assessment https://echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13632/information_requirements_part_d_en.pdf.

9. Does Chesar 3 provide exposure estimates for contributing scenarios for “maintenance and cleaning” activities?

ECETOC TRA workers 3.0 does not provide exposure estimations for PROC 28. However, in some cases, the exposure potential during maintenance is similar to the exposure potential occurring during other types of activities. In such cases, if a suitable justification is reported, the exposure estimation can be based on a different PROC (e.g. PROC 8a when there is a potential for a direct contact with the substance) and in Chesar, the following procedure can be applied:

  1. In Box 2, create a worker contributing activity and assign e.g. PROC 8a.
  2. Carry out your exposure assessment in Box 3 by adding a TRA workers 3.0 exposure dataset.
  3. Specify your set of conditions of use.
  4. Add an external tool exposure dataset. In the “external tool exposure dataset” view, link the conditions of use already specified for the TRA assessment, copy the exposure estimates obtained with TRA and justify your selection of PROC (e.g. PROC 8a) for the exposure estimates in the “explanation on exposure estimations” field.
  5. When the information from the TRA assessment has been copied into the external tool dataset, the TRA workers 3.0 exposure dataset can be deleted.
  6. Go back to the contributing activity level in Box 2 and overwrite the PROC used for the assessment (e.g. PROC 8a) with PROC 28.
8. How can I get exposure estimates using the ECETOC TRA for activities under closed conditions at end-use of chemicals?

Some contributing activities at end-use of chemicals may take place in closed conditions similar to those in the chemical production and refineries, and therefore TRA exposure estimates for PROC 1-3 could be applicable. It should be noted nevertheless that in sectors other than chemical production and refineries a measured data set is needed to validate the use of a “PROCs 1-3 based assessment” (see Guidance R14). With this basis, a similar technique as described for the aforementioned question can be applied.

  1. Create a worker contributing activity to which the PROC describing closed systems (e.g. PROC 2) is assigned.
  2. Carry out your exposure assessment in Box 3 by adding a TRA workers 3.0 exposure dataset.
  3. Specify your set of conditions of use.
  4. Add an external tool exposure dataset.
  5. In the “external tool exposure dataset” view, link the conditions of use already specified for the TRA assessment, copy the exposure estimates obtained with TRA and justify your selection of PROC 2 for the exposure estimates in the “explanation on exposure estimations” field.
  6. When the information from the TRA assessment has been copied into the external tool dataset, the TRA workers 3.0 exposure dataset can be deleted.
  7. Go back to the contributing activity level in Box 2 and overwrite the PROC used for the estimation (e.g. PROC 2) with the PROC characterising the nature of the activity carried out under closed conditions.­
  8. Do not forget to add the measured dataset (as supportive exposure assessment) which justifies the claim of closed system for the activity
7. Does Chesar support the waste life stage?
In Chesar some key information related to the waste stage can be documented for each contributing activity for the environment, such as the fraction of substance released to waste stage and whether particular considerations have to be taken into account for the waste treatment operations. There is no particular functionalities for assessing the waste life stage of a substance in Chesar. Nevertheless, it is possible to assess the treatment of waste as a “use” at industrial site.