Chemicals management

Chemicals are a vital part of our daily life. They provide society with a wide range of benefits, particularly increased agricultural and industrial productivity and improvements in the control of disease. On the other hand chemicals have the potential to cause considerable health and environmental problems throughout their life cycle, from production through to disposal.

To ensure that chemicals are managed safely to protect the environment and human health, the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts:

Undertakes environmental assessments of industrial and agricultural chemicals for the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) and the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA);
Engages with the States and Territories, industry and community groups in the development of guidelines and standards to reduce production of hazardous chemicals;
Cooperates in the development of international agreements for restricting the use, production, and emission or release of hazardous chemicals, or for the sharing of information about them; and
Gathers information about persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and develops strategies to reduce or eliminate them.

National Environmental Risk Management Framework for Chemicals

Australia's Government Environment Agencies through the National Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) are developing a National Environmental Risk Management Framework for Chemicals.

Framework