What are biocides?
A biocidal product is a pesticide intended to prevent harmful effects on property or human or animal health caused by harmful organisms (animals, plants or microorganisms). Common biocidal products include hand sanitizer, boat antifouling, insecticides (mosquito repellents) and rat poison.
Biocides are divided into so-called product types. There are a total of 22 product types divided into four main groups. The four main groups are disinfectants, preservatives, pest control and other biocidal products.
Active substances in Biocides
All biocidal products contain one or more active substances. An active substance is a substance that has the property of preventing a harmful organism from causing harm. An active substance must either be under investigation or approved in order to be used in a biocidal product. In addition, the active substance must be approved for the intended product type. Active substances are evaluated in a review program at EU level.
The biocidal product itself must also be approved (with a few exceptions). Depending on whether the active substance is under investigation or not, different rules apply for approval. If all active substances in the product are approved, the product is approved at EU level according to the Biocidal Products Regulation, EU 528/2012. If, however, any substance in the product is under investigation for approval, Swedish rules apply.
Authorisation of Biocidal products
A biocidal product must be authorised before it can be imported, sold, supplied, or used. Applications for authorisation are submitted to the relevant national authority in accordance with EU Regulation (EU) No 528/2012. Note that for applications under the Biocidal Products Regulation, all active substances in the product must have an approval date for the relevant product type before the application can be processed.
Read more and apply for authorisation of a biocidal product on the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) website.
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