Step 5: Work out your introduction's risk to the environment
By now you know the human health risk of your introduction – medium to high, low or very low – which you completed in step 4.
To be able to finish your categorisation you need to work out the risks of your introduction to the environment. To work this out start at 5.1 and continue as far as you need to through each step.
Once you have your answer for the risk of your introduction to the environment – medium to high, low or very low – go to Step 6. In Step 6 you'll combine the human health risk and the environment risk for the final category of your introduction.
Step 5.1 Introductions that are always medium to high risk to the environment
Start at this step if your chemical introduction is a type that is always medium to high risk to the environment.
Step 5.2 Introductions that can be low risk to the environment
This step relates to international assessments and how to work out if your introduction can be low risk to the environment based on its international assessment.
Step 5.3 Work out your environment exposure band
Part of the process to work out the risk to the environment of your introduction is to work out its exposure band. There 4 environment exposure bands - Exposure band 1 has the lowest level of environment exposure and exposure band 4 the highest level
Step 5.4 Work out your environment hazard characteristics
A chemical has an environmental hazard characteristic if it can cause damage, harm or adverse effects to the environment. Find out what you need to do to establish the environment hazard characteristics of your chemical.
Step 5.5 Outcome - your environment risk for your categorisation
Use the table on this page to confirm the risk of your introduction: medium to high, low or very low. After you this, go to step 6 to complete your categorisation.