Chemicals health-based targets

Health-based targets for chemicals (e.g, the guideline values in the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality - WHO, 2004 WHO, 2006) are concentrations that would generally not have a negative health impact if consumed over a lifetime. Therefore, the likelihood of a particular chemical occurring at concentrations that would cause health impacts is the most appropriate indicator that the chemical may be of concern in such situations. 

Table 3.1 Health-based targets for application to microbial and chemical constituents of drinking-water...

A comparison of market penetration with the similar Responsible Care Model shows that more than 50% (in terms of value) of the chemical companies had implemented this new model after a period of 13 years. The Responsible Care Model, under which the chemical supplier ensures that "its" chemical is used in a way that is as environmentally friendly and protective of health as possible, is based on a similar idea and is comparable in nature. However, Responsible Care by no means requires such a close co-operation between the chemical supplier and the chemical user, and unlike Chemical Leasing, does not aim at minimising the volume of chemical substances used. By analogy, it can be expected that Chemical Leasing will have been adopted by half of the target customers, or approx. 2,000 SMEs, within roughly 10 years.9 Based on this, a diffusion curve (see appendix) was drawn up, which results in the following project demand for the first four years (Fig. 15.)... 

In December 2006, the Canadian federal government announced a new Chemical Substances Plan to prioritize chemicals targeted for risk assessment and risk management.103 The aim of this new Plan is to use science-based information to protect our health and the environment by... 

The previous target then specifies that the products containing substances with the properties listed above must be handled in such a way that these chemicals are not released to the environment [547], The report continues to state explicitly that chemicals listed should not be used in production processes unless the company can prove that human health and the environment will not be harmed [547]. In other words, the overall target advocates a mix between hazard and risk-based approaches. In cases of handling, no exposure should occur at all. An example would be in the disposal or disassembly of an electronic piece of equipment where actual substances are contained within the articles. In cases of production, manufacture and use, Sweden advocates a risk approach through exposure assessment. 

The hazard classification should lead directly to labelling of acute health effects, environmental and physical hazards. The labelling approach that involves a risk assessment should only be applied to chronic health hazards, e.g. carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, or target organ systemic toxicity based on repeated exposure. The only chemicals it may be applied to are those in the consumer product setting where consumer exposures are generally limited in quantity and duration ... 

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