The purpose of prospective risk assessment for chemicals is to identify potential risks prior to the use of substances. We challenged the environmental risk assessment, which is conducted under the European Biocidal Products Regulation 528/2012, and evaluated whether it covers all possible emissions of biocidal active substances from households into wastewater. Around 64 % of the observed applications of biocidal active substances do not fall its scope. Results show that gaps exist in the environmental risk assessment. An important approach to reduce possible risks by these substances in general would be to limit their use to in fact essential usages.