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The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is jointly
investigating international high production volume (HPV) chemicals. The
criteria for the selection of these HPV chemicals are production in one
OECD Member country in quantities above 10,000 metric tons (22 million lbs)
per annum or above 1,000 metric tons (2.2 million lbs) in two or more OECD
countries. Screening Information Data Sets (SIDS) is the OECD program under
which data on HPV chemicals is collected and shared. OECD member countries
are working cooperatively to:
- select the chemicals to be investigated,
- collect information from government and industry files,
- complete the agreed upon Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) testing,
- make an initial assessment of the potential hazards and risks of each
chemical, and
- identify the priority for additional international efforts (e.g.,
post-SIDS testing or exposure information gathering.
The SIDS Program involves the collection of existing test data for HPV chemicals including information on the chemical identity, physical characteristics, sources
and levels of exposure, environmental fate and pathways, and ecotoxicological
and toxicological data. Once the chemicals have been selected, the sponsor
country collects the available data and determines whether or not additional
testing is needed to complete the SIDS data set. Needed SIDS testing is
conducted and the results incorporated in the SIDS dossier. A SIDS Initial
Assessment Report (SIAR) is then prepared and discussed at an OECD meeting.
The conclusions for this meeting represent the initial assessment conclusions
of the OECD member countries concerning the chemical and the priority
for additional work. Following the completion of the OECD's assessment,
the chemical is referred to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) risk management process to integrate the assessment into the U.S. domestic program
on chemicals.
EPA's Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) plays an integral
role with the SIDS Program as the representative of the United States
Government. OPPT is committed to making non-confidential chemical information
available to the public and promoting information sharing with industry
and the scientific community. As sponsoring countries complete the SIDS
process for HPV chemicals, OPPT's Information Management Division (IMD)
is converting the documents into electronic formats under a pilot image
processing technology project to augment information sharing and provide
greater accessibility to the final version of the SIDS documents. The
chemical industry in the U.S. and other OECD member countries fully supports
the OECD HPV work and sharing of the results because the SIDS Program
avoids duplicate testing among chemical companies for fulfilling requirements
of various countries.
Access to SIDS
To access SIDS Chemical Information, visit the United Nations Environmental Programmes World Wide Web site
(http://www.unep.org/). Select "Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) for High Production Volume Chemicals".
The 1997 SIDS Manual is another good source for information about the program. |
