Increasing international assessment of chemical risks

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends expanding and accelerating international assessment of chemical risks. It recommends reviewing strategies for exposure assessment and environmental monitoring to allow for the best use of available resources, to ensure compatibility of data and to encourage coherent national and international strategies for that assessment. In particular it recommends promoting mechanisms to increase collaboration among governments, industry, academia and relevant non-governmental organizations involved in the various aspects of risk assessment of chemicals and related processes, in particular promoting and coordinating research activities to improve understanding of the mechanisms by which toxic chemicals act.

1. Increasing international cooperation on chemical management
2. Cooperating internationally
3. Improving
4. Controlling chemicals

1. Strengthening programmes on chemical risk assessment
2. Setting assessment priorities for toxic chemicals of global concern
3. Securing chemical data from industry for assessing potential risks
4. Increasing research on safer alternatives to harmful toxic chemicals
5. Increasing international exchange of chemical risk assessment reports
6. Increasing chemical risk research by industry in developed countries
7. Finding alternatives for chemical research methods which use test animals
8. Coordinating research activities on the mechanisms of action of toxic chemicals
9. Conducting epidemiological studies linking chemical exposure and diseases
10. Conducting ecotoxicological studies to assess chemical risk to the environment
11. Assisting developing countries to strengthen chemical risk assessment capabilities
12. Assessing chemical risks

1. Protecting against hazards
2. Minimizing use of harmful chemicals

1. Researching transboundary water pollution
2. Exchanging information on transboundary water pollution

1. Unexposed
2. Underexposure
3. Risk-aversion
4. Risk
5. Overexposure
6. Noncooperation
7. Exposure
8. Cooperation

1. Agenda 21