Again with strong participation from the DR. BRILL INSTITUTES Group, the SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting will take place in Maastricht from May 17-21, 2026, under the theme "Embrace the Outlier: In Science, Regulations, and Networks." Dr. Brill Regulatory Services GmbH and Hydrotox GmbH will both be involved, both in terms of personnel and content – and, following last year's great success, we will once again have our own exhibition stand! Our commitment in detail: Exhibition booth - Booth No. 37: Hydrotox and Dr. Brill Regulatory Services will once again be represented with a joint booth at the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting. Presentation title: Assessment of Endocrine Effects of Construction Products in the Environment Presentation type: Poster Session title: 6.04 - Endocrine Disruption: Scientific and Regulatory Challenges Presentation day: Monday, 18 May 2026 Authors: Elena Perabo, Martina Springmann - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br.  Co-Author: Dr. Peter Behnisch - BioDetection Systems b.v., Amsterdam Presentation title: Biodegradability of Polymers in Aquatic Test Systems: ISO 14852 - Feasibility Study for Different Concentrations of Test Item and Inoculum Presentation type: Poster Session title: 3.18 - Microplastics Research: Beyond Fear-Mongering, Towards Trustworthy Science Presentation day: Monday, 18 May 2026 Authors: Andrea Brunswik-Titze, Jessica Bühler, Marie Canon - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br., Germany Presentation title: Sustainable green roofs for the implementation of the sponge city: Determination of ecotoxicologically safe construction products for green roofs Presentation type: Poster Session title: 3.09 - Environmental Forensics: Tracking Sources and Evaluating the Effects of Chemicals in Urban and Other Environments Presentation day: Tuesday, 19 May 2026 Authors: Elena Perabo, Dr. Christoph Hafner - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br., Germany Presentation title: Round Robin Test to prepare for consolidation of tests for ready biodegradability according to OECD 301/310 Presentation type: Poster & Poster Corner Discussion Session title: 3.04 - Advancing Understanding of Environmental Persistence of Chemicals Presentation day: Tuesday, 19 May 2026 Authors: Ulrich Jöhncke - UBA, Section IV 2.3. Chemicals  Andrea Brunswik-Titze - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br.  Stefan Gartiser - Hydrotox GmbH, Freiburg i.Br. Daniel Sättler - UBA, Section IV 2.3. Chemicals Monika Ratte - ToxRat Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Alsdorf Benjamin Daniels - ToxRat Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Alsdorf Presentation title: Comparison of exposure modelling tools used in different regulatory areas Presentation type: Poster Session title: 3.02 - Advances in Exposure Modelling: Closing the Gap between Scientific Innovation and Regulatory Relevance Presentation day: Wednesday, 20 May 2026 Presenter: Heike Schimmelpfennig   Our colleagues on site are already looking forward to welcoming what we hope will be a large number of our customers, as well as potential new customers, to our attractive booth - Booth No. 37. If you would like to arrange an appointment in advance, please feel free to contact us, e.g., by email here: info@brillhygiene.com Use your participation in the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting for a personal meeting with us! The following colleagues will be present in Maastricht: From Dr. Brill Regulatory Services Dr. Gunnar Kleist (Director Regulatory Services) and Heike Schimmelpfennig (Senior Manager Regulatory Affairs), as well as from Hydrotox Andrea Brunswik-Titze (Team Leader and Test Leader Biodegradability), Jessica Bühler (Study Director Biodegradation), Elene Perabo (Test Leader Ecotoxicology, Third Party Research Projects) and Dr. Christoph Hafner (Head of GLP Test Facility, Customer Support). One-day free tickets: Hydrotox has a small number of SETAC one-day free tickets available, which we would be happy to pass on to you. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Christoph Hafner directly by email at hafner@hydrotox.de. The SETAC Europe Annual Meeting is an annual conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe that brings together scientists, policy makers and industry representatives to discuss current issues in the fields of environmental toxicology, ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. Main features of the conference: Topics: Environmental risk research, life cycle assessment, regulatory developments and scientific policy advice Formats: Scientific sessions, plenary lectures, training sessions and networking events Participants: 2,000-2,500 experts from over 60 countries The conference serves as a platform for the exchange of new findings and promotes cooperation between research, industry and authorities. Link: SETAC Europe 36th Annual Meeting

Do you use biocidal products containing ethanol (CAS No. 64-17-5)? If so, you should pay close attention! Biocidal products containing ethanol as an active substance currently benefit from national transitional measures that simplify the marketing process. In Germany, for example, such products can currently be marketed without authorisation. However, this situation may change in the future. The competent Greek authority has been evaluating ethanol for product types PT1, PT2 and PT4 for over 15 years. As a 'backlog dossier', it still falls under the transitional provisions of the old Biocidal Products Directive (BPD, Directive 98/8/EC). In October 2024, the BPC Human Health Working Group reached the preliminary conclusion that ethanol exhibits potential carcinogenic and reprotoxic properties. This means that the active substance meets the ‘exclusion criteria’ of the Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR, Regulation (EU) No 528/2012) and is considered a candidate for substitution in accordance with Article 10(1). A public consultation was then launched. Public consultation and decision-making From 25 February to 28 April 2025, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) conducted a public consultation to gather information on possible alternatives to ethanol and any potential exemptions. In response to this call, the Agency received 356 submissions from industry, associations, and institutions. However, at the Biocidal Products Committee (BPC) meeting on 26 November 2025, no consensus could be reached on the potential hazards of ethanol and its alternatives. Apparently, concerns about the possible far-reaching consequences of a CMR classification and its proportionality were too great. From today's perspective, a final BPC opinion is not expected before May 2026. The Standing Committee on Biocidal Products, consisting of representatives from the member states, will then make the actual decision on the approval of ethanol. A concrete timetable for this is not yet available. We will continue to keep you informed of all relevant developments. What are your next steps? If the EU Commission approves ethanol for the relevant product types, a two-year transition period will begin. From today's perspective, manufacturers would therefore be required to submit their product dossiers to the ECHA by 2028 at the earliest in order to maintain market access for their products. If you manufacture or sell ethanol-containing products and are unsure about the steps you need to take, Dr. Brill Regulatory Services can support you. We can help you to understand the regulatory requirements, evaluate options for action, and design the entire authorisation process for your affected products strategically and efficiently. We are planning to establish a consortium to coordinate the approval of ethanol-based disinfectants for use in the European healthcare sector. If you are interested, please feel free to contact us. Please click here to contact us directly.

With rich participation of the DR. BRILL INSTITUTES Group, the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting will take place in Vienna from May 11-15, 2025 - under the overall theme “Innovation for Tomorrow: Progress in Safe and Sustainable Concepts.” For our part, Dr. Brill Regulatory Services GmbH and Hydrotox GmbH are both involved, both in terms of personnel and content - and for the first time even with their own exhibition stand! Our commitment in detail: Session 6.07: “Environmental Risk Assessment under Biocides and other EU legislations” with presentation by Heike Schimmelpfennig, Dr. Brill Regulatory Services GmbH, on “Comparison of Environmental Exposure Assessment Strategies across Different EU Legislation” Chair: Andrea Brunswik-Titze, Hydrotox GmbH Co-chair: Aiga Latsone, ECHA, Heike Schimmelpfennig, Dr. Brill Regulatory Services GmbH Poster contributions from Hydrotox GmbH: Elena Perabo, Dr. Christoph Hafner: "Sustainable green roofs for the implementation of the sponge city: Determination of ecotoxicologically safe construction products for green roofs" Andrea Brunswik-Titze, Stefan Gartiser: "Consolidation of OECD tests for ready biodegradability on the example of OECD 310" Exhibition booth - Booth No. 3: For the first time, Hydrotox and Dr. Brill Regulatory Services will be represented with a joint booth at the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting.   Our colleagues on site are already looking forward to welcoming a hopefully large number of our customers and, of course, potential new customers to the beautifully styled stand - Booth No. 3. If you would like to make an appointment in advance, please contact us, e.g. by email here: info@brillhygiene.com One-day free tickets: A small number of SETAC one-day free tickets are still available at Hydrotox, which we will be happy to pass on to you. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Christoph Hafner directly by email at hafner@hydrotox.de. Use your participation in the SETAC Europe Annual Meeting for a personal meeting with us! The following colleagues will be present in Vienna: From Dr. Brill Regulatory Services Dr. Gunnar Kleist (Director Regulatory Services) and Heike Schimmelpfennig (Senior Manager Regulatory Affairs), as well as from Hydrotox Andrea Brunswik-Titze (Team Leader and Test Leader Biodegradability), Marie Bechstein (Test Leader Biodegradability), Elene Perabo (Test Leader Ecotoxicology, Third Party Research Projects) and Dr. Christoph Hafner (Head of GLP Test Facility, Customer Support).   The SETAC Europe Annual Meeting is an annual conference of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe that brings together scientists, policy makers and industry representatives to discuss current issues in the fields of environmental toxicology, ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. Main features of the conference: Topics: Environmental risk research, life cycle assessment, regulatory developments and scientific policy advice Formats: Scientific sessions, plenary lectures, training sessions and networking events Participants: 2,000-2,500 experts from over 60 countries The conference serves as a platform for the exchange of new findings and promotes cooperation between research, industry and authorities. Link: SETAC Europe 35th Annual Meeting