Biocides Committee proposes not to approve four silver-containing active substances

Biocidal Products Committee(BPC) is a committee of ECHA which forms opinions on the BPR process and each member state appoints one member for BPC. Members of BPC meet regularly to discuss and the agenda for those meetings are published 21 days before the meeting.  

In the meeting, BPC proposes not to approve four silver compounds saying that the risks for human health, the product-type 4 (food and feed area) are:

• silver zinc zeolite;
• silver zeolite;
• silver copper zeolite; and
• silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate.

Those substances can be found in kitchen utensils since they are all used to prevent cross-contamination. Also, silver copper zeolite and silver sodium hydrogen zirconium phosphate can be found not only in kitchen utensils but also in water because carbon water filters contain silver zinc zeolite and silver zeolite to prevent bacterial growth and when people use that filtered water to cook or drink, they can be exposed. Consequently, All substances have both commercial and non-commercial applications.  

It is concluded that those substances can’t be used as a disinfectant in food and feed area. For the first time, BPC made a decision considering all the exposure to a substance from many sources not only the use in question.  

Last update: 2021-03-31