EN 16637-1:2023

Construction products: Assessment of release of dangerous substances - Part 1: Guidance for the determination of leaching tests and additional testing steps

Publication date:   Feb 19, 2024

Scope

(1) This document allows the identification of the appropriate leaching test method for the determination of the release of RDS from construction products into soil, surface water and groundwater. This document provides a stepwise procedure for the determination of appropriate release tests, including:
a) determination of the test method based on general product properties;
b) choice of the test method using specific product properties.
(2) Furthermore, this document gives general guidance for CEN Technical Product Committees and EOTA WGs on basic aspects (sampling, sample preparation and storage, eluate treatment, analysis of eluates and documentation) to be specified in the relevant product standards or ETAs.
(3) Metallic products and coatings on metallic products are not considered in the determination scheme of this document since the test methods in prEN 16637 2:—1) (tank test) and prEN 16637 3:—2) (column test) are not appropriate for the testing of these construction products due to a different release mechanism (solubility control).
NOTE See Annex F.
(4) It is assumed that intermittent contact with water (e.g. exposure to rainwater) is tested – by convention – as permanent contact. For some coatings, (e.g. some renders with organic binders according to EN 15824 [7]) in intermittent contact to water, physical and chemical properties might be altered in permanent contact with water. These products are not considered in the determination scheme of this document since the test method in prEN 16637 2 is not appropriate for the testing of these construction products (in this case EN 16105 [8] might be an alternative method).

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