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Chemical safety

Chemical Safety is achieved by undertaking all activities involving chemicals in such a way as to ensure the safety of human health and the environment. It covers all chemicals, natural and manufactured, and the full range of exposure situations from the natural presence of chemicals in the environment to their extraction or synthesis, industrial production, transport use and disposal.

Chemical safety has many scientific and technical components. Among these are toxicology, ecotoxicology and the process of chemical risk assessment which requires a detailed knowledge of exposure and of biological effects.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Fact sheets
Dioxins and their effects on human health

Arsenic in drinking water


RELATED TOPICS

- Children's environmental health
- Drinking water: quality guidelines
- Environmental health in emergencies
- Food safety: chemical risks
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
- Occupational health
- WHO Pesticides Evaluation Scheme: "WHOPES"

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Mechanisms of fibre carcinogenesis and assessment of chrysotile asbestos alternatives summary report [pdf 292kb]

WHO Policy paper: mercury in health care

- More about chemical safety

PUBLICATIONS

EHC 237 Principles for Evaluating Health Risks in Children [pdf 3.57Mb]

Guidelines on the prevention of toxic exposures

- More publications about chemical safety

WHO PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES

International Programme on Chemical Safety

PARTNERS

Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals

Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM)

Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives

Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety

CHEMICAL SAFETY IN WHO REGIONS

African Region
Region of the Americas
South-East Asia Region
European Region
Eastern Mediterranean Region
Western Pacific Region