Control of existing chemicals

Blair, Etcyl H., A Framework of Consideration for Setting Priorities for the Testing of Chemical Substances," Workshop on the Control of Existing Chemicals, Ber1in, Germany, June, 1981. 

Kobayashi, K. (1981) Safety examination of existing chemicals - selection, testing, evaluation and regulation in Japan, in Proceedings of the Workshop on the Control of Existing Chemicals under the Patronage of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, June 10-12, 1981, Umweltbundesamt, Berlin. 

The quality control of galvanic anodes is reduced mainly to the analytical control of the chemical composition of the alloy, to the quality and coating of the support, to an adequate joint between support and anode material, as well as to restricting the weight and size of the anode. The standards in Refs. 6, 7, 22, 27, 31 refer to magnesium and zinc anodes. Corresponding specifications for aluminum anodes do not exist. In addition, the lowest values of the rest potentials are also given [16]. The analytical data represent the minimum requirements, which are usually exceeded. 

Efforts to use TSCA to actually control unreasonable risks of existing chemicals have been almost non-existent. The statute itself banned the manufacture and use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) except for totally enclosed uses or uses that the EPA Adminstrator found would not pose an unreasonable risk. As interpreted by EPA this ban affected only about 1% of the uses of PCBs. Marking and labelling rules for PCBs may have had some effect in reducing the amount of PCBs entering the environment, but the effect is insignificant compared to the amount of PCBs already in the environment. For the past several years there has been no domestic manufacture of PCBs and probably no importation of them. 

While participating in the European Union programme on risk assessment of existing chemicals, Euro Chlor (representing all major European chlorine producers), recognised the need to carry out a detailed risk evaluation on chemicals linked to the production of chlorine. In view of concerns about specific risks of organohalogen compounds to the marine environment as a sink for all watercourses, Euro Chlor focused on this environmental compartment, with emphasis on the North Sea. This sea area has been extensively studied and is controlled by the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution (OSPARCOM). For a series of chemicals on lists of concern adopted by the North Sea Conference (1990), risk assessments are being carried out to demonstrate their variable environmental profiles. 

No moral or ethical basis exists for the exposure of human subjects to pharmacologically active agents for purposes of demonstrations. The choice of the term demonstration in the basic reference is one of the most telling arguments contained therein. Whereas no legal basis has ever been established for experimentation on humans, nevertheless the officer and civilian physicians of the Chemical Corps feel morally, ethically and professionally Justified (both as physicians, and as professional civil and military servants of the nation) in using human subjects for research in, or under the control of, the Chemical Research and Development Laboratories. Any use of LSD-25 in which we participate will be an experiment, not a demonstration. 

The final verdict is still out on whether TSCA is sufficient to maintain adequate control of toxic chemicals. The years ahead may show that further regulation, legislation, and enforcement are necessary or that less is optimum to avoid restrictions on innovation. No doubt, just as now, a variety of opinions will exist. 

The UK Chemicals Strategy focusses on production, marketing and use it does not include aspects relating to occupational health or pollution control [353]. Basically, the strategy proposes a seven-step process for the risk assessment and management of existing chemicals ... 

Certain substances are registered for non-CAS use, for example, substances registered under the provision of the U.S. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), substances for the U.S. Adopted Names (USAN) Council of the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, and substances for the European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (EINECS). 

The application of electrohydraulic cavitation in its various forms for the pyrolytic and oxidative control of hazardous chemicals in water has the potential to become economically competitive with existing technologies. In terms of convenience and simplicity of operation, electrohydraulic cavitation could... 

The inventory of existing chemicals, compiled in 1978 under the Toxic Substances Control Act, lists more than 55>000 chemicals in commerce. (Pesticides, drugs and food additives are excluded). Considering the rapid advances in health and envlron-mentcLl sciences during the past two decades, and the limitations on facilities, professionals skilled in testing, and monetaiy resources, it is obvious that not all of these existing... 

Assurances that new and existing chemical processes are conducted safely have never been more needed. Public awareness of the effects of chemical exposure has increased since the early 1970s. Although the initial focus of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 was on safety, clearly the emphasis now is on health. People at all levels of society are concerned about exposure to chemicals and the possible short- and longterm effects of chemicals on human health. The effects of chemicals on the environment from past or present waste sites, accidental releases or spills, and fires and explosions are reported daily in the news media. Control of all chemical processes to avoid accidental discharges and/or upsets that lead to fires, explosions, and environmental release is essential in the laboratory, the pilot plant, and the manufacturing plant. Chemical process hazard reviews are necessary at each step in the development of a process to ensure that the process can be controlled and conducted so as to minimize the risks to personnel, property, and the environment. 

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