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Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals that are useful in many building materials and consumer products but have a large potential for harm.   The goal of this report is to inform and inspire building owners, architects, designers, building product manufacturers, and government decision makers to eliminate unnecessary uses of PFAS and to promote the design and use of safer non-PFAS alternatives.

The presence of hazardous chemicals in products makes the transformation to circularity more challenging. This report describes UNDP's interventions on Chemicals and Waste Management which aim to achieve circularity across different industries, inluding construction.

This report provides an overview of the current status and conditions of the Circular Economy in the electronics value chain in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, identifies key areas of concern, provides appropriate recommendations, and proposes priority actions to improve circularity of the sector. The recommendations and roadmap focus on the individual life cycle stages of the electronics value chain, as well as on aspects that cut across the value chain. The transition towards a more circular electronics sector in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) would require a holistic and coordinated approach to progress toward a more circular electronics value chain in the CEE region.

This publication was prepared under the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) full-sized project 9771: Global best practices on emerging chemical policy issues of concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). This project is funded by the GEF, implemented by UNEP and executed by the SAICM Secretariat.

This study aims to predict human exposure to pollutants and heating load in buildings by developing a numerical model coupling heat and chemical transfers in the building envelope. The study characterizes the effect of temperature and air renewal rate on chemical emissions from building materials and human exposure. The results show that increasing indoor temperature by 10°C doubles the maximum indoor air concentration of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, leading to increased human exposure. The study also finds that higher air renewal rates lead to smaller intake fractions of pollutants from building materials. The study highlights the need to guide early design choices towards a good compromise between human indoor exposure and heating load, especially with the increasing emphasis on energy-efficient building design.

This is a pre-print manuscript pending publication in open access scientific journals.

This document has been developed within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project ID: 9771 on Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemical Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

Chemical management and risk assessment frameworks rely on regulatory toxicity values, but these are available for only a small fraction of commercialized chemicals due to limited available data. To address this gap, the study aims to expand the coverage of chemicals for which toxicity values can be derived by determining surrogate inhalation route points of departure (PODs) and corresponding toxicity values where regulatory assessments are lacking. In vivo data from the U.S. EPA's Toxicity Value Database were curated and selected, and effect values were adjusted to chronic human equivalent benchmark concentrations (BMC_h) using the WHO/IPCS framework. Chemical-specific PODs are crucial for evaluating potential risks and toxicological impacts from chemical exposures, and the statistically derived BMCL or LOAEC/NOAEC are typically used as candidate PODs for toxicity value derivation.

This is a pre-print manuscript pending publication in open access scientific journals.

This document has been developed within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project ID: 9771 on Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemical Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

The study examines the near-field exposures and health risks of organic chemicals in interior paints commonly used in Sri Lanka. The researchers developed mass balance-based and high-throughput models to predict chemical emissions during wet and dry phases and integrated these models into the USEtox model for health risk assessment. The models accurately predicted indoor air concentrations and drying time. They found that inhalation is the primary exposure pathway, and exposure is much higher for painters during application than for household members during use. The study identified chemicals of concern and recommended the use of protective equipment for painters and increasing air ventilation rates to reduce exposure for household members.

This is a pre-print manuscript pending publication in open access scientific journals.

This document has been developed within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) project ID: 9771 on Global Best Practices on Emerging Chemical Policy Issues of Concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM).

Chemicals production and consumption is set to double by 2030, from a $5 trillion industry globally in 2017, with production set to increase, mainly in emerging economies. If chemicals production is doubled, chemical pollution must not double as a consequence – rather we should aim to significantly reduce it from current levels.

Current international attempts at the massive undertaking of addressing chemical pollution are not working. For the world to solve the major environmental and health challenges we face, there must be a sustainable chemicals revolution. We can only achieve this through senior-level engagement with the chemical sciences community through an authoritative, intergovernmental science-policy interface.

The Royal Society of Chemistry engaged with scientists in their community to develop the vision for a chemicals strategy, relevant to any nation in principle.  Four pillars were identified on which any chemicals strategy has to be based: education, innovation, circular economy and regulation. National governments must invest in these areas and create a responsible framework of action for chemicals management.

This report provides an overview of the current status and conditions of the Circular Economy in the electronics value chain in the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region, identifies key areas of concern, provides appropriate recommendations, and proposes priority actions to improve circularity of the sector. The recommendations and roadmap focus on the individual life cycle stages of the electronics value chain, as well as on aspects that cut across the value chain. The transition towards a more circular electronics sector in Central and Easter Europe (CEE) would require a holistic and coordinated approach to progress toward a more circular electronics value chain in the CEE region.

This publication was prepared under the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) full-sized project 9771: Global best practices on emerging chemical policy issues of concern under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). This project is funded by the GEF, implemented by UNEP and executed by the SAICM Secretariat.