Legislation on chemicals

At the end of the project, a set of research gaps to be taken into consideration for the future have been identified such as the lack of data about chemicals in products as well as their emission to the environmental compartments, the need to assess the risk of chemical mixtures and not the chemicals by themselves, or the necessity of optimizing the current legislation on chemicals. 

A decision by the European Parliament to put restrictions on the use of six phthalate plasticisers ignores scientific risk assessments and threatens the basis for Reach, the impending European legislation on chemical strategy. The Strasbourg parliament has voted to ban DEHP, DBP and BBP in children s toys and childcare items. DINP, DIDP and DNOP will be banned from use if the toys or items can be put in the mouth by children. An EU scientific risk assessment said children were not at risk from DINP in toys. A similar study in the US by the Consumer Product Safety Commission reached the same conclusion. European Commission... 

The application was rejected because Swedish legislation on chemical products enables Swedish authorities such astheChemicals Inspectorate to prohibit the import... 

Important dehnitions used in EU legislations on chemicals include ... 

Biologist and earth scientist. Researcher in plant physiology at the University of Vienna until 1991 (specialised in photosynthesis research, simulation of plant bio-productivity). Over 60 publications on environmental issues. 1992 invited speaker at the Alpbach Forum 1996 winner of the grand Austrian Environment Award (of Lower Austria) top-notch journalist on environmental issues admission to the "Austrian Scientific Forum for Environment Protection", board member since 2001. Director of the Chemicals Policy Division of the BMLFUW since the end of September 1997 fields of activity legislation on chemical substances at the national, European and UN levels. Scientific and technical risk assessment of substances and products, best practice diffusion for the production and application of chemical products. 

This chapter briefly describes how European Community (EC) legislation on chemical contaminants in foodstuffs is developed, adopted and enforced. In this context the term chemical contaminants covers residues of pesticides and veterinary dmgs, heavy metals, mycotoxins and nitrate. 

Most of the expert advice that forms the scientific basis of EC legislation on chemical contaminants in food is provided by the Commission s scientific advisory committees working in the food safety area. The experts on these committees are expected to provide independent advice and not represent their countries or the organisations that employ them. The results of the deliberations of the scientific advisory committees are published and are also available on the Internet at DG SANCO s web site (http //europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/ health consumer/index en.htm). 

The main Swedish legislation on chemicals can also be found on http //www.kemi.se... 

Distinct and clearly formulated legislation on chemicals is, together with efficient implementation and enforcement, a necessary prerequisite for effective chemicals risk management. Two recent publications from the Swedish Chemicals Agency, KemI, analyse and discuss in more depth the need for an appropriate national infrastructure for chemicals control, such as legislation and institutional capacity and capability (KemI PM 1/07 and KemI PM 4/08). KemI PM 4/08 includes an example of a full-text basic law on chemicals. 

There are advantages in regulating these rather few early measures for risk elimination and reduction through comprehensive horizontal legislation on chemicals. 

There are some important issues that should be dealt with through national legislation on chemicals. 

One of the main aims of modem legislation on chemicals control is to stipulate and specify the responsibilities and obligations of enterprises. Enterprises and other actors handling chemicals, including private consumers, not only own their chemicals but also own the potential problems associated with the use of them. Therefore, they have to take responsibility for ensuring that use does not affect human beings and the environment in an unacceptable way. Every actor in the supply chain, such as the producer, the importer, the retailer, the user, the waste handler, has its specific responsibilities. 

Legislation on chemicals ( chemicals legislation ) Suppliers Responsibilities at the time of marketing (supply) ... 

As noted above, modem legislation on chemicals allocates considerable responsibility to enterprises handling chemicals. Except for chemicals of special concern, such as plant protections products and biocides, current legislative systems applied internationally include very few elements of central steering of details. 

The Chemical Agents Directive 98/24/EC. The first comprehensive fi amework for Community legislation on chemicals in the woriqjlace was included in Coimcil Directive 80/1107/EEC, which set out measures for the control of risks due to chemical, ph ical d biological agents. It was amended in 1988 by the adoption of Directive 88/642/EEC that focused on the mechanism for setting exposure limits for hazardous chemicals. This directive repealoi on 5 May 2001 with... 

Bikos, P.C. and Scarlatos, P. (2003). Practical application of E legislation on chemical hazards in the Hellenic Chemical Industry -results of a pan-hellenic survey, 8 International Symposium ofISSA Research Section, Abstracts, pp260-261, Athens. 

The European Parliament consists of 732 Members, elected by the different member states. The daily work takes place mainly in 24 committees. Of special interest for the legislation on chemicals are the environmental, the employment,... 

Legislation on chemicals was first adopted and implemented in Europe in 1967. However, only after 1979, the legislation systematically addressed the generation of a minimum set of information for chemicals. Under a 1979 EEC directive, an inventory was established comprising existing chemicals, with more than 100,000 substances. New chemicals not listed in the inventory and... 

According to the European legislation on chemicals at work, employers must assess the risks of chemical hazards to the safety and health of workers, considering effects due to both accidental and long-term average exposures (European Council, 1998). We will here focus on the assessment of accidental task exposure, and a variation of JSA may be used for this purpose ... 

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