The European Commission is seeking comments on the preliminary report of its Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR), entitled Effects of the Active Substances in Biocidal Products on Antibiotic Resistance.

1. Does current scientific evidence indicate that the use of certain active substances in biocidal products in various settings as mentioned above can contribute to the occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria, both in humans and in the environment? If so, how does this effect compare to resistance due to application of medicinal products or veterinary medicinal products and other relevant applications?1
2. If yes, which types of active substances, modes of action or areas of application create the highest risks for increasing antibiotic resistance?
3. If yes, what are the extent of the resulting antibiotic resistance and the relative contribution of the different applications to the risk of increasing antibiotic resistance?
4. How can the development of antibiotic resistance due to the use of active substances in biocidal products be examined? Could the Committee advise on the methodologies?
5. Please identify relevant gaps in scientific knowledge and suggest major research needs.

The scientific rational of the SCENIHR’s preliminary opinion included the consideration of the ‘Production, use and fate of biocides’; within the chapter entitled ‘Biocides in the environment’, the SCENIHR notes:

‘The use of biocides as antifouling agents, biocides in building materials, on antimicrobial surfaces and in fuels and plastic materials is also gaining in important, but the quantities used are unknown. It is important to note that an increasing number of uses are linked with nanosized particules of disinfectants (ex. protection of the concrete facades against lichens and moulds) progressively released in the environment.’

The following recommendations are put forward by the SCENIHR:

• ‘Prudent use guidelines for biocides in their various applications should be evaluated and harmonized. In addition, surveillance programmes investigating bacterial resistance to biocides are recommended.
• There are currently no clear and well-referenced criteria or standards for the evaluation of the capability of a biocide to induce/select for antibiotic resistance. Therefore, tools need to be developed to define the "minimal selecting concentration": the minimal concentration of a biocide which is able to select or trigger the emergence/expression of a resistance mechanism concerning an antibiotic class in a defined bacterium.
• Considering the high uncertainty in the in vivo evaluation of the effects of biocides on the emergence of antibiotic resistance, reporting of production and use of biocides should be promoted.’

The public consultation is open until the 30^th November 2008; comments on the preliminary opinion should be submitted comments via this website.

Follow these links to find out more about the SCENIHR report, to download the full report, or to comments submit comments.