Chemical Safety Information---Free to the World

Beginning June 2001, the International Programme on Chemical Safety’s (IPCS) INCHEM service, www.inchem.org, an invaluable tool for those concerned with chemical safety and the sound management of chemicals became free of charge to people around the world via the Internet. IPCS INCHEM offers quick and easy access to thousands of searchable full-text documents from international bodies on chemical risks and the sound management of chemicals, helping countries fulfil their commitments under the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Agenda 21, Chapter 19.

Produced through cooperation between IPCS (WHO/ILO/UNEP) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), IPCS INCHEM directly responds to one of the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) priority actions to consolidate current, internationally peer-reviewed chemical safety-related publications and database records from international bodies, for public access.

The IPCS INCHEM collection includes:

• Environmental Health Criteria (EHC) monographs
  
• Concise International Chemical Assessment Document (CICADS)
  
• Health and Safety Guides (HSGs)
  
• International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
  
• IPCS/EC Evaluation of Antidotes Series
  
• JECFA (Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives) - monographs and evaluations
  
• JMPR (Joint Meeting on Pesticide Residues) – monographs and evaluations
  
• Pesticide Data Sheets (PDSs)
  
• Poisons Information Monographs (PIMs)
  
• Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) for High Production Volume Chemicals
  
• CIS Chemical Information (ILO/CIS)
  
• International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) -Summaries and Evaluations
  

Other chemical safety information from international bodies will be added progressively to the collection.

Dr. Tim Meredith, Coordinator for the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) at the World Health Organization comments, “IPCS aims to disseminate its chemical risk assessment and chemical risk management products as widely as possible, in support of the long-range objectives of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Provisions of the IPCS INCHEM database on the Web free of charge to the end user is a very important step in that direction.”

Offering this service without charge allows individuals, especially those from developing countries or working in organizations with limited resources, and people in general, access to chemical safety information. The IPCS, CCOHS and other international bodies working in their respective field of chemical safety help to make this possible.

Len Hong, CCOHS’s President and CEO says, “This endeavour will ensure the continued quality, integrity, upgrading and further expansion of the program for all people throughout the world.” He adds, “It is our ongoing vision to make global chemical safety a reality.”

The IPCS INCHEM Programme was developed in 1997 as a co-operative undertaking between the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) and CCOHS. The IPCS INCHEM Programme is based at CCOHS, which is Canada’s national agency for occupational health and safety, dedicated to eradicating workplace illness and injuries and creating a safe and healthy working environment for everyone.

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is proud to be the Workplace Health Affiliate Partner and among the more than 600 health information providers contributing their knowledge and expertise to this project.
Recognized internationally as an innovative and authoritative resource, CCOHS is Canada's national occupational health and safety center. We are a non-profit organization established in 1978 by the Government of Canada to foster and improve the prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses in Canada. CCOHS collects, evaluates and distributes information on workplace health, safety and environmental issues from sources around the world. The Centre is directed by a council comprised of representatives from employers, labour and government and is committed to providing impartial and accurate information to all Canadians.

The Centre represents Canada in the International Labour Organization's CIS National Centre Program, and is a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Eleanor Irwin, Manager - Marketing, Sales and Communications

905/572-2981, Ext. 4408 Email: eleanori@ccohs.ca