Pure substances

Substance - a chemical element and its compounds in the natural state or obtained by any manufacturing process, including any additive necessary to preserve its stability and any impurity deriving from the process used, but excluding any solvent which may be separated without affecting the stability of the substance or changing its composition (ECHA-term).

To face this danger, and given the reality of the extensive global trade in chemicals and the need to develop national programs to ensure their safe use, transport and disposal, it was recognized that an internationally-harmonized approach to classification and labelling would provide the foundation for such programs. Once countries have consistent and appropriate information on the chemicals they import or produce in their own countries, the infrastructure to control chemical exposures and protect people and the environment can be established in a comprehensive manner.

Worldwide regulations are applicable to all industrial sectors. They require manufacturers, importers or downstream users of substances or mixtures to classify, label and package their hazardous chemicals appropriately before placing them on the market.

One of the main aims of these regulations is to determine whether a substance or mixture displays properties that lead to a hazardous classification. In this context, classification is the starting point for hazard communication.

When relevant information (e.g. toxicological data) on a substance or mixture meets the classification criteria, the hazards of a substance or mixture are identified by assigning a certain hazard class and category. The hazard classes cover physical, health, environmental and additional hazards.

Once a substance or mixture is classified, the identified hazards must be communicated to other actors in the supply chain, including consumers. Hazard labelling allows the hazard classification, with labels and safety data sheets, to be communicated to the user of a substance or mixture, to alert them about the presence of a hazard and the need to manage the associated risks.

The economic impact for manufacturers is huge since they do not have to conform to different classification and labelling criteria. But most importantly, workers in all 68 countries enjoy the same level of protection thanks to universally agreed classification criteria and hazardous communication element, which includes instantly recognizable pictograms, signal words and hazard statements. These identify the degree and level of the chemical’s hazard, from that of a skin irritant to possible organ damage. So anyone who manufactures, stores, transports, handles or uses these chemicals can identify the hazards posed and apply the appropriate protection measures.

Hazard Assessment

Hazard assessment is an essential part of the risk assessment process. Hazard assessment is also referred to as characterization of effects or hazard characterization. It is the identification of adverse effects that a stressor has an inherent capacity to cause to human individuals or populations, or environmental populations or ecosystems, or natural resources.