European Chemical Substances Information System

European Chemical Substances Information System (ESIS)... 

ESIS European chemical Substances Information System provides information about the risks and safety of chemical compounds http //esis.jrc.ec.europa.eu/... 

EC IHCP. (2009). ESIS European chemical substances information system Retrieved 4/10/09, from http //ecb.jrc.ec.europa.eu/esis/. 

REACH introduces a single system covering both existing and new substances under the old system and categorises substances as either non-phase-in substances (i.e. those not produced or marketed prior to the entry into force of REACH) or phase-in substances (those listed in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial chemical Substances Information System - EINECS, or those that have been manufactured in the Community, but not placed on the Community market, in the last fifteen years). 

In Europe, 100,204 commercial chemical substances have been recognized and numbered under EINECS (European INventory of Existing Commercial chemical Substances) by the European Chemical Bureau (ECB) System. Another 4,381 new substances are classified under ELINCS Information System (European List of Notified Chemical Substances) since May 11, 1981. Among these. In Europe 1,230 chemical substances are officially identified as irritant or corrosive with Xi and C pictograms and risk sentences. 

Not surprisingly, there are many synthetic chemicals and formulations commercially available. In Europe alone more than 100000 chemicals (not formulations) are on the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS), which lists chemicals on the market before September 1981. This list differentiates between existing and all new chemicals produced since 1981 that have to be notified. During the period between 1981 and 2000 more than 2700 new substances were notified in Europe (Figure 1.3). For new substances, the obligatory notification system requires the manufacturer or importer to provide information suitable for risk assessment to be submitted to the competent authorities. The details required are dependent on the production volume or import quantities of the chemical. 

The official naming convention under REACH is that developed and maintained by lUPAC. The lUPAC system is intended to allow an experienced chemist to name a structure under the system by following a set of rules. In practice, many chemical substances are very complex and application of the rules requires the interpretation of a chemist who is an expert not just in chemistry, but also in lUPAC nomenclature. Some chemicals, for the purpose of the European Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (EINECS) and REACH, have lUPAC names that are common names rather than names that follow a set of rules. lUPAC publishes new lists of names periodically, and occasionally a common name is replaced by a more formal one. This practice results in multiple names for the same substance, and the most current name is not necessarily the one originally placed onto EINECS. CAS offers a service by which it assigns a CAS name and CASRN for a substance for which one already knows the structure and/or the reactants used in the manufacture of the substance, but there is no direct counterpart to this process to identify a correct lUPAC name. There are indirect means such as by cross-checking against a known CAS name and CASRN, or other information such as the chemical s EINECS number. 

Secondly, many of the world s trade lists and inventories of chemicals, both in printed form and as computer databases, primarily use nomenclature and do not contain structures. Examples include the European Customs Inventory of Chemicals and the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS), both produced by the Commission of the European Communities. The lists of recommended International Non-proprietary Names (INN) for pharmaceutical substances, produced by the World Health Organisation, give the lUPAC name with the INN. Lists of hazardous substances also tend to use nomenclature, for instance the UN list of Recommendations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods. Users of these lists, such as the UK Laboratory of the Government Chemist, who need to pursue investigation of particular entries in other chemical information systems, are limited to nomenclature input. 

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