Environmental Project, 941 – Substance flow analysis of 4-nitrotoluen

Substance Flow Analysis of 4-nitrotoluene

3 Turnover of 4-Nitrotoluene in Denmark

3.1 Statistical information
   3.1.1 Statistics Denmark
   3.1.2 The Danish Product Register
   3.1.3 The SPIN Database
3.2 Information from spot test
3.3 Summery and conclusion

The turnover of 4-nitrotoluene in Denmark has been investigated by using available statistical information and by survey of the industries where consumption is assumed to take place.

3.1 Statistical information

3.1.1 Statistics Denmark

There is no record of production of 4-nitrotoluene in Denmark and there has not been registered any sale of goods containing 4-nitrotoluene in Denmark between 1998 and 2003 (Statistics Denmark, 2003).

The data in Table 3-1 presents the available import and export of nitro and nitroso derivatives of carbohydrates (KN 2904 2000) (Statistics Denmark, 2003).

Year	Import (kg)	Imported from	Export (kg)	Exported to
2002	20,942	Germany, France	0
2001	35	France, Germany	2,211	Italy, USA
2000	32	France, Germany, UK	0
1999	85	Germany, France, Sweden, UK	0
1998	0		0

Table 3-1. Import and export of nitro and nitroso derivatives of carbohydrates to/from Denmark (Statistics Denmark, 2003).

It should be emphasised that the figures include nitro and nitroso derivates in general and not only 4-nitrotoluene. In theory, this means there may not be any import of pure 4-nitrotoluene, thus the figures presents a worst-case scenario. 4-nitrotoluene does have an individual KN number (KN 2904 2000 90), which can be found in the European Custom Register on chemical substances, but no Danish statistics are made at this level of detail (Statistics Denmark, 2003).

The figures in Table 3-1 do not show a trend in neither import nor export of 4-nitrotoluene to/from Denmark and there is no correlation between the import and the export figures.

3.1.2 The Danish Product Register

To obtain a cross reference on the import and export figures from Statistics Denmark, the amount of products containing 4-nitrotoluene has been investigated based on data from the Danish Product Register (PR). It is the notifying companies alone that are responsible for updating in PR. The companies are obliged to send in any relevant information about changes regarding their notified products. There is no record of any products containing 4-nitrotoluene in Denmark in PR (Danish Product Register, 2003).

3.1.3 The SPIN Database

SPIN – Substances in Preparations In the Nordic countries – is a database that contains “non-confidential” information on substances from each of the Nordic product registers.

The intention behind the database SPIN is to make available to the public as much data as possible from the registers. Secrecy rules as in the Product Register can then be overcome by aggregation of the data from each register. Thereby, the number of products within a certain use or industry category is increased. The information included is for example the number of products containing the substance, the annual tonnage, industrial categories and use categories, the annual tonnage within these categories and the presence or absence of the substance in consumer products.

There is no information about the consumption and use of 4-nitrotoluene in the SPIN database (SPIN, 2003).

3.2 Information from spot check

The Confederation of Danish Industries has made a spot test among selected chemical and paint/pigment manufacturers. The objective of the spot check was to cross check the statistical information and verify that no consumption of 4-nitrotoluene is taking place in Denmark.

The spot test found that one pharmaceutical company used 250 grams of 4-nitrotoluene for research in year 2002.

3.3 Summery and conclusion

Based on the statistical information and the spot test it can be concluded that very little 4-nitrotoluene is being used in Denmark, and only for research.