Definition and further description of Annex III to WFD
Annex III to the WFD defines HP 4 ‘Irritant’ as: ‘waste which on application can cause skin irritation or damage to the eye’ HP 4 is linked to HP 8 ‘Corrosive’, since both HPs refer to the potential for harm or damage to tissue at different levels of severity. Regarding HP 8, consult Section 3.8 for further details. Note that: Hazardous waste containing irritant substances can display irritant properties (depending on concentration); Hazardous waste containing corrosive substances can display either corrosive or irritant properties depending on concentration. Mechanical irritation produced by some substances is not included within the definition of HP 4. The WFD further explains that: Table 12 Hazard Class, Category Code(s) and Hazard Statement Code(s) for waste constituents and the corresponding concentration limits for the classification of wastes as hazardous by HP 4 An example for the assessment of wastes containing CaO and Ca(OH)2 according to HP 4 can be found in Annex 1.4.4. For a waste containing a substance that is H314 Skin Corr.1A, 1B or 1C at a concentration ≥ 5 % see also HP 8 Corrosive (Annex 3.8) as this waste should be classified as hazardous by HP 8 and not by HP 4. The abovementioned concentration limits are applied to the known components of a waste. It may be difficult to identify all specific substances present in certain wastes. Where the waste is not ‘Irritant’ as a result of the known substances and some substances are still unknown, the pH value of the waste should be used for assessment (see Figure 10). A waste with a pH ≤ 2 or ≥ 11,5 should generally be considered HP 8 Corrosive unless both: an acid or alkali reserve test suggests that the classification as ‘Corrosive’ is not warranted, and further in vitro testing, or existing human experience and animal data from single or repeated exposure has confirmed that classification as neither ‘Irritant’/‘Corrosive’ applies. The acid/ alkali reserve test measures the buffering capacity of the waste (9).
Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-09-25 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.