OECD Guidance for Characterising Oleochemical Substances for Assessment Purposes
This document presents a harmonized method for characterising, for assessment purposes,
a specific subcategory of UVCBs (Substances of Unknown or Variable composition, Complex
reaction products or Biological materials): oleochemical substances. Many oleochemicals
are UVCBs, due to the variability in the composition of the starting materials. The
method presented in this document gives guidance on how oleochemical substances can
be characterised in a way that their composition is accurately and consistently reflected
to ensure that substances with the same chemical composition, manufactured in different
countries, can be characterised with the same description for hazard assessment purposes.
A common understanding and approach to characterising UVCBs would enable regulatory
authorities to increase cooperation in the field of hazard assessment and help industry
deal with regulatory requirements from multiple jurisdictions.