Representatives from CIS attended a meeting held in the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Lódz, Poland from 3 to 7 April 2006 to peer review some 70 International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs).

The meeting brought together international experts in chemical safety, toxicology and environmental and emergency response from 12 countries plus representatives from the European Commission and the World Health Organization (WHO). It was organized within the framework of the International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS).

ICSCs provide information on the intrinsic hazards of specific chemicals together with first aid and fire-fighting measures and precautions for spillage, disposal, storage, packaging, labelling and transport. They are prepared by the IPCS Participating Institutions (PIs) and go through several steps of consultation and editing. This meeting, held twice a year in one of the participating countries, represents the final step in the process of peer review. The cards are currently translated into 15 languages (including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swahili, Thai, Urdu, Vietnamese as well as many European languages) and are available on various Internet sites including that of CIS [www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/safework/cis/products/icsc/index.htm].

Highlights of the Lódz meeting included discussions on the incorporation into the cards of the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) and on a proposal to establish an international Internet-based system for the preparation, review and use of the cards in several languages.

The next ICSC peer-review meeting will be organized by the network of Regional agencies for environmental prevention [Agenzie Regionali per la Protezione Ambientale (ARPA)] in Italy in October 2006.

Click here to know more about the ICSCs projet and access the link to select and view individual Cards by name of chemical.