Environmental Risk Assessment for Under Alternatives to DDT Usage in the Production of Antifouling Paint Project

• Panel testing from the summer of 2008 to the summer of 2009 on some 40 paint formulations
• On-ship testing of about one-half of these formulations over about a year starting a few months later.

The objective is to draw upon international experiences of approval requirements and test methods for assessing environmental risks and relevant policy of antifouling paints, table proposal to the establishment of an environmental risks assessment system in the project, and, help national experts to finish environmental risk assessment of productions submitted by manufacturers. Specifically, these are to be applied to:

1. Review of assessment criteria for data submitted by paint manufacturers as applied by the expert panel convened 11 July 2008
2. In particular, review of existing international assessments and policy related to  copper as an antifouling ingredient
3. Development of additional assessment criteria for data submitted by paint manufacturers with indications of associated testing methods
4. Expert judgement of the tolerability of use of the associated paints including discussion of the significance of their uncertainties and data gaps. In particular, the value of PNEC should be suggested based on reference to related documents.
5. Suggesting potentially needed additional data to enable refined expert judgments;
6. Review of the utility of tiered assessment systems for the present case of DDT replacement, such as the 3-tier system under discussion in Japan
7. Generation of exposure data based on internationally established exposure models. 

Scope of Work

The scope of this task will focus on antifouling paint products with an effective life no longer than 2 years used by small and medium sized fishing and commercial ships. 

Only the paint formulations accepted for the on-ship testing should be assessed. If possible, the results from the on-ship tests available from August, 2009, could be used for further elimination from consideration of paints that were unsuitable due to inefficacy, peeling off or other failures.

Within the scope of this task, the consultant should provide

• An initial discussion of these Terms of Reference with respect to the objectives and activities, based upon which a work plan will be proposed and discussed with UNDP and MEP.
• Initial brief reviews and/or references for review articles of the international situation with respect to approval requirements and test methods for environmental effects of antifouling paints (objectives 1,2,3 and 6 above)
• Assessment of the dossiers submitted and other data in dialogue with national experts (objectives 4 and 5 above)
• Review of the needs for exposure data and generation of these data
• Ad hoc support to national and international counterparts as requested.

The work should be initiated in December, 2008.
The initial reviews should be finished by the end of April, 2009.
The first extensive set of exposure data should be available by the end of February, 2009
One meeting with national experts should be held in March 2009 to agree on potential additional data needs.
Dossiers and/or research reports for such data should be submitted by the end of July 2009
A concluding meeting with national experts should be held in September 2009 for final recommendations regarding the suitability of relevant alternative paints from the point of view of environmental risks.

• Good skills in communicating with other experts and project staff
• Basic knowledge of the Stockholm Convention on POPs is an asset
• Any commercial or research interests for a particular method assessed in the project should be declared in the application for the consultancy.

• Master’s degree or above in science
• More than 5 years experience in approval requirements and test methods for environmental effects of antifouling paints
• Excellent written and spoken ability of English