Chemicals management

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

The OECD maintains active chemical and pesticide programmes through the Environment, Health and Safety Division of its Environment Directorate.

The OECD Chemicals Programme was established in 1978. Its objectives are to assist Member Countries in:

• promoting sound management of chemicals worldwide;
• identifying, preventing and reducing risks from exposure to chemicals;
• preventing unnecessary barriers to trade;
• optimising the use of national resources for chemicals management; and
• integrating economic and chemical safety policies.

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is active in the OECD's Chemicals Programme, and recently acted as chair of the 'Joint Meeting of the Chemicals Committee and Working Party on Chemicals, Pesticides and Biotechnology' which oversees the activity of the Chemicals Programme (1998-2000).

Major products of the Programme of interest to Australia are: Test Guidelines, the system of Mutual Acceptance of Data, Good Laboratory Practice, Harmonisation of Classification and Labelling, hazard/risk assessment methods, initial assessment reports on high production volume chemicals and risk reduction monographs.

The Chemicals Programme also carries out useful joint activities on pesticides, chemical accidents, harmonisation of regulatory oversight in biotechnology, pollutant release and transfer registers and food safety.