Release Overview
- New Litagion agent profiles for short-chain and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins
- Underwriting feature enhancements
- Updated Litagion agent and company profiles impacted by newly published peer-reviewed science and newly gathered company information
New Content
Litagion agents
- Short-chain chlorinated paraffins. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCP) [CAS No. 85535-84-8] consist of a mixture of chlorinated hydrocarbons with a chain length of 10 to 12 carbon atoms. One of the most common uses of SCCPs is in lubricants and coolants for metalworking applications. SCCPs may also be used as flame retardants and plasticizing agents in polyvinyl chloride, rubber, paints and coatings, adhesives, inks, and textiles. SCCPs are deemed persistent and bioaccumulative under the Stockholm Convention and are regulated as such by many countries.
- Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins. Medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCP) [CAS No. 85535-85-9] consist of a mixture of chlorinated hydrocarbons with a chain length of 14 to 17 carbon atoms. One of the most common uses of MCCPs is in lubricants and coolants for metalworking applications. MCCPs may also be used as flame retardants and plasticizing agents in polyvinyl chloride, rubber, paints and coatings, adhesives, inks, and textiles. MCCPs are considered persistent and bioaccumulative under REACH and are regulated as such by some countries.
Underwriting feature enhancements
The company risk score Litagion agent table now displays the maximum general causation risk score associated with each Litagion agent linked to a given company. The general causation risk score may be particularly useful in assessing the materiality of Litagion agent exposures when no component risk score is available (see the 2021-09-24 CoMeta release notes for more on the availability of component risk scores).
The "old" presentation of company information, currently accessible under Risk Profiles in the left navigation bar, is slated for removal now that the "new" company risk score presentation of company information is available in the underwriting feature. To support this transition, we have made a number of adjustments to the "old" company profile pages and to some navigation items:
- The company dartboard has been removed from the old company profile page.
- The projected loss card has been removed from the old company profile page.
- The company clash card has been removed from the old company profile page.
- The company profile PDF report available on the old company profile page will no longer be updated. This PDF report will be replaced in the coming months with a new company risk score report available from the underwriting feature.
- Users can navigate to a company in the underwriting feature from the search bar available at the top of the homepage and other CoMeta landing pages. Users wishing to navigate to the old company profile page may do so by clicking on Companies in the left navigation bar.
- Users can navigate to a list of companies exposed to a Litagion agent or within an industry by clicking on companies in the upper right of a Litagion agent or industry profile page.
Finally, we have removed nine energy-related profiles (coal fly ash, coalbed methane, enhanced oil recovery, geologic carbon storage, geothermal energy, mountaintop removal mining, oil sands in situ extraction, oil sands mining, and wastewater injection) that were associated only with property damage related harms. The profiles will be revised in the future as more specific hypotheses of human harm emerge or the need for litigation scenarios otherwise arises.
Updated Litagion agent profiles based upon newly published science
All Litagion agent profiles have been updated to reflect the most recently published peer-reviewed science. Notable scientific studies added to CoMeta since the last release include:
- Melamine. An experiment with rats found melamine exposure was significantly associated with impaired working memory.
- Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), Perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). A study found maternal peripheral blood and cord blood levels of PFDA, PFDoA, and PFOS is significantly linked to congenital heart defects.
In addition, we highlight the following changes to the components of Litagion agent risk resulting from newly published peer-reviewed science:
| Litagion agent | Risk category change | Overall risk change |
| Antimony | Projected science risk changes from Low (green) to Medium (yellow) | No change |
|
Zearalenone |
Projected science risk changes from Medium-high (orange) to High (red) | No change |