Generic scenario for the impact of cooling lubricants into the hydrosphere

Abstract

According to directive 93/67/EEC of the European Commission, this paper deals with the generic exposition evaluation of the environmental concentration of cooling lubricant chemicals from the metal working industry into the hydrosphere. After considering the relevant life-cycle steps and the selection of a representative point source for the ’reasonable worst case’, the emission per day Elocal_water is determined. It leads to the predicted environmental concentration (PEClocal_water) for the local stage in the compartment water. In order to gain the PEClocal_water for an example - a corrosion inhibitor as additive in a cooling lubricant -, the relevant emission paths and the corresponding representative point source are described for the reasonable worst case. For non-water-miscible cooling lubricants, none of the operations in the life cycle leads to a release into the compartment water. To evaluate the hazard potential for cooling lubricant chemicals, the complete risk assessment has to be done. Also, the assessment has to be done for all high production volume chemicals, new substances and existing hazard chemicals. This means that even industrial categories like chemicals used in the textile industry or biocides and others have to be evaluated.