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Pesticides: Regulating Pesticides |  |
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Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
The Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for the classification and labeling of hazardous chemicals is an initiative to promote common, consistent criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health, physical and environmental hazards, and to develop compatible labeling, safety data sheets for workers, and other information based on the resulting classifications. In July 2003 the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) formally adopted the GHS and authorized its translation into official UN languages and dissemination throughout the world. The intent is that countries which lack systems for hazard classification and labeling will adopt the GHS as the fundamental basis for national policies for the sound management of chemicals, and that countries which already have systems will adapt them to be consistent with the GHS. The U.S. has been participating in GHS activities with a number of other countries and key industry, worker, and public interest stakeholders. The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Earth Summit), the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) have all endorsed the need for the GHS, and IFCS and WSSD have set a goal of 2008 for its implementation. Goals and Anticipated Benefits of the GHS
The twin goals of the GHS are to enhance public health and environmental protection and reduce barriers to trade. Currently, a number of countries operate their own systems for classification and labeling, and companies must comply with differing requirements depending on where they do business. A harmonized system will lead to greater consistency among countries and thereby promote safer transportation and handling of chemicals. For example, harmonized criteria and widely recognized symbols and warnings used in the transport of hazardous chemicals will help protect workers and other potentially-exposed populations from acutely toxic chemicals and chemicals that pose flammability or explosive hazards. A more uniform, harmonized system of requirements should also reduce costs for companies involved in international trade. Thus, harmonization will promote regulatory efficiency and facilitate trade without lowering the level of health and environmental protection afforded by current laws and regulations. Other potential benefits of the harmonized system include reduction in animal testing now needed for compliance with divergent national systems and the conservation of scientific resources. GHS hazard classification criteria have been adopted by consensus for physical hazards (flammability, explosivity, etc.) and key health and environmental effects, including: acute toxicity, carcinogenicity, germ cell mutagenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, respiratory and skin sensitization, skin and eye irritation/corrosion, target organ/systemic toxicity, and aquatic toxicity. Standardized label elements (symbols, signal words and hazard statements) for each of these hazard classes have been developed and agreed, along with a standard format and approach to presentation of GHS information in safety data sheets. The GHS document also includes guidance on other issues relevant to implementation of the system, including product identifiers, confidential business information, and precedence of hazards. U.S. participation in the GHS will be voluntary, and may entail adaptation of the system as needed based on U.S. circumstances. The scope of the harmonization effort includes all hazardous chemicals, which is consistent with the U.S. regulatory scheme. Implementation will mean significant changes in how chemicals, including pesticides, are labeled in the workplace, transportation, and consumer use settings. Key U.S. agencies involved in the GHS include the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) , the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Department of Transportation (DOT). While the GHS will classify chemicals essentially based on their intrinsic hazard properties, without full analysis of exposure and risk, the system may apply differently in different settings or stages in the life cycle of a product. For example, the U.S. CPSC uses a risk-based approach to labeling for chronic effects, while OSHA uses a hazard approach and DOT does not require chronic effects labeling. This is expected to continue consistent with the GHS. The GHS is a voluntary system, in that it does not impose binding treaty obligations on countries, but to the extent that countries adopt the GHS into national regulatory requirements it will be binding on the regulated community. Key International Organizations involved in the GHS The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, or Earth Summit), the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) have all endorsed the need for the GHS. IFCS and WSSD set a goal of 2008 for its implementation. The UN Sub-Committee of Experts on the GHS, created under the auspices of ECOSOC, is the permanent international body charged with maintaining, updating, and promoting implementation of the GHS. It reports to ECOSOC through the joint Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals. The development of the GHS was directed by a Coordinating Group of the Inter-Organization Group for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC), and the resulting document was adopted by a consensus of participants from governments, industry, worker organizations, and other stakeholders. Three international focal points were responsible for the technical work: the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for development of health and environmental hazard classification criteria; a working group of the United Nations Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNCETDG) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) for development of criteria for physical hazards; and an ILO working group for development of standardized hazard communication tools. Each of these international organizations involved affected industries and other non-governmental organizations in their deliberations. The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is working with a number of agencies (including ILO and OECD) and countries to provide assistance to developing countries in implementing the GHS. Capacity Building for GHS Implementation was approved by the WSSD in August 2002 as a global partnership activity. The U.S. Government and some stakeholder organizations are members of the WSSD partnership to promote GHS implementation. The GHS document, reports of meetings, and papers considered by the UN Sub-Committee and Committee are available on the Internet at: http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/danger.htm Additional information and background materials can be found at the following web sites:
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