Welcome to this latest edition of the ECFIA newsletter - continuing to provide information for interested parties on a wide range of topics including:

• Website relaunch
• ECFIA joins MISA
• ECFIA applies to the EU OSHA campaign
• ECFIA sponsors further work into understanding toxicology behaviour of fibre
• Newsletter Subscription and New Data Protection Rules

Please register for our new newsletter. If you do not register, you will no longer receive ECFIA NEWS in the future. Further information can be found below.

If you would like to get in touch with ECFIA on any of these topics please contact: info@ecfia.eu

ECFIA invites you to explore the new version of its website www.ecfia.eu

You will find practical and scientific information on HTIW and on ECFIA’s initiatives, handling advice, latest news and events. The new version will allow you and other interested parties to

• navigate easily whether on a computer or mobile devices
• search the whole website
• download documents in particular practical handling guidance
• access the large literature database compiled by ECFIA

MISA stands for "metals and inorganics sectorial approach", an agreement between ECHA and various consortia and/or associations representing their inorganic substances under REACH. The main objectives of MISA are

1. to improve the quality and understanding of registration dossiers and
2. to resolve outstanding technical and methodological issues related to inorganic substances in REACH.

Further information, including a list of participating industries and regular updates on MISA will be published on ECHA´s website. If you are interested in a little more detail, follow this link:

In April 2018 the European Unions Occupational Safety & Health Agency started a two year campaign to promote best practice examples for managing dangerous substances at workplaces. Organisations and companies from all over the EU had the chance to apply to the campaign with there approaches of improving the safe handling of dangerous substances at workplaces.

No question then that ECFIA with its Product Stewardship Programme & the unique CARE Programme had to participate in the awards competition. With more than 20 years of effort ECFIA´s PSP & CARE Programme contributed a significant part to occupational health & safety around the handling of HTIW.

The best examples for managing dangerous substances will be awarded by the EU OSHA in the end of 2019. If you want to learn more about the campaign by the EU OSHA please click here.

If you wish to find out more about ECFIAs Product Stewardship Programme & CARE on our new website please follow this link:

As part of ECFIA’s continuing commitment to further scientific understanding of fibre toxicology, December 2018 saw the conclusion of a 2 year in vitro study, in partnership with Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh. This study compared “after-service” fibres with as made fibres, using cell lines and endpoints deemed relevant for inhalation exposure.

This comprehensive study covered a number of commercially available fibre chemistries supplied by ECFIA members, assessing biological responses in conjunction with a number of physicochemical characteristics including chemistry, crystalline silica content, particle morphology and material solubility.

To produce “after service” fibres, the samples were exposed to a temperature regime designed to simulate an application where crystalline silica would be formed in the amorphous glass structure during its service life. The HTIW samples did not induce cell death or intracellular ROS, and their ability to induce pro-inflammatory mediator release was low. In contrast, DQ12 (a crystalline silica positive control) induced cytotoxicity, a strong pro-inflammatory response and ROS generation.

The paper is available under open access:

In the context of the new data protection rules (GDPR), ECFIA changes its newsletter format and distribution. If you would like to receive further information on High Temperature Insulation Wool Solutions - Health and Safety - Environmental Aspects, please register on the ECFIA website for the new newsletter. If you do not register, you will no longer receive ECFIA News in the future.

Our newsletters contain scientific and practical information on HTIW, ongoing activities of ECFIA including regulatory initiatives in which ECFIA takes part and on events of interest for the HTIW industry and its users, etc. Depending on what happens, it is planned to have one newsletter per quarter i.e. about 4 times a year. When subscribing to ECFIA News, you agree that we will use your email address for the distribution of the newsletter and own promotional purposes.

Further information about our new newsletter and the use of your data can be found here. The easiest solution for you is to register now: