Chemicals
Glossary
Included in this page is a glossary of terms and acronyms used here.
Terms:
Bioaccumulation: The uptake of substances from the environment, and their concentration and retention by organisms, eg in fatty tissues.
Biocide: Any agent that controls harmful organisms.
Carcinogenicity: A property of a substance that causes cancer.
Confidence in chemicals: A UK Chemical Industries Association initiative, including a programme of voluntary risk assessment, product stewardship and long range research. It commits member companies to the responsible and safe management of chemicals as a part of the existing 'responsible care' initiative. Companies will improve their product risk assessments and communication processes in consultation with governments and all committed stakeholders.
CONCAWE - the oil companies' European organisation for environment, health and safety. The emphasis of its work lies on technical and economic studies relevant to oil refining, distribution and marketing in Europe. CONCAWE was established in 1963 in the Hague and in 1990 its secretariat was moved to Brussels.
Duty of care: The responsibility of those who make, supply, import or use chemicals to provide sufficient information to evaluate risks to health and environment resulting from their manufacture and intended use.
Ecosystem: Living organisms, their physical environment, and their interrelationships within a particular part of the environment.
Ecotoxic: Harmful to ecosystems and/or the organisms within them.
Endocrine disrupter: Substance that interferes with the working of the endocrine (hormone) system.
Envirowise is the main government programme providing advice on improving resource efficiency (eliminate, reduce, re-use) to businesses in industry and commerce. It produces case studies, benchmarks, and guidance on cost-effective cleaner technologies. See Envirowise.
Existing chemicals: Defined as those listed in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS) between January 1971 and September 1981 a total of over 100,000. All other chemicals are 'new chemicals'.
Global distillation: Movement of persistent organic pollutants from warm tropical and sub-tropical regions to cooler higher latitudes via evaporation and condensation.
Green Chemistry Network: A Royal Society of Chemistry initiative. It aims to help chemical companies and chemists by sharing best practice, promoting green technology transfer and providing data to show that adopting green practices can also provide cost benefits for industry. It promotes awareness and helps with education, training and the practice of green chemistry in industry, academia and schools.
Hazard assessment: Assesses a chemical's potential to harm humans or the environment. This is an intrinsic property of a substance. It does not address the likelihood of harm (risk), which depends on exposure, including the way the substance is used or is likely to reach the environment. The hazard assessment is therefore only the first step towards an assessment of risk. Under the OECD Screening Information Data Set (SIDS) programme, a hazard assessment involves six internationally agreed basic tests for screening high production volume chemicals for toxicity. The tests are for acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, developmental/reproductive toxicity, mutagenicity, ecotoxicity and environmental fate.
Hazard profile: Data on physical and chemical characteristics, acute and chronic toxicity, bioaccumulation, persistence and mobility in environmental media and other properties required for a hazard assessment of a chemical. Together with information on exposure, the hazard profile is used to assess risk.
Hazardous chemical/substance: There are many definitions. OSPAR defines hazardous substances as those that are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate or which give rise to an equivalent level of concern. In this Strategy, chemicals of concern for which a risk management strategy is required are those likely to cause serious or irreversible damage to the environment, in accordance with the precautionary principle. The Stakeholder Forum will advise the Government on setting criteria to enable rapid identification of such chemicals.
High production volume (HPV): The OECD defines an HPV chemical as one that is produced or imported into any single country in quantities of 1,000 tonnes per year or more. The US Environmental Protection Agency terms HPV chemicals as those produced or used in quantities of over one million lb. per year, ie about 444 tonnes.
International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA): A body of trade associations representing chemical manufacturers world-wide. It provides a forum for regular meetings of executives from member associations. ICCA has announced a voluntary programme of accelerated testing and hazard assessments of about 1,000 high priority chemicals, to be completed by the end of 2004.
Mutagenicity: A property of a substance which causes mutation of the genetic material of an organism exposed to it.
NETCEN - helps Governments, Local Authorities, Regulators and Industry develop, implement and operate pragmatic environmental solutions that help improve quality of life. NETCEN is a provider of consultancy, technical services and field services in air quality, contaminated land and waste management.
New chemicals: Defined as those not listed in the European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS) between January 1971 and September 1981. Those on that list are the so-called 'existing chemicals'.
OSPAR: The Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (the OSPAR Convention), to which the UK is a party, agreed a strategy to 'prevent pollution of the maritime area by continuously reducing discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous substances with the ultimate aim of achieving concentrations in the marine environment near background values for naturally occurring substances and close to zero for man-made synthetic substances.'
Persistence: The ability of a substance to remain unchanged in the environment. Persistent substances can become distributed world-wide, particularly in the marine environment or in the atmosphere.
Pesticides: An agent used to control pests and diseases, including insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Polluter pays principle: The idea that polluters should assume individual responsibility for the environmental impacts they cause. The hypothecation of pollution costs.
Precautionary principle: The precautionary principle is an approach to risk management that can be applied in circumstances of scientific uncertainty, reflecting a perceived need to take action in the face of a potentially serious risk without waiting for results of scientific research. The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development says: 'In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by states according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.'
Proportionality principle: The concept that control measures or response should generally be proportional to the risk.
REACH: Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of Chemicals (Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006)
Responsible care: An initiative of the chemical industry which began in the 1980s. It requires member firms to follow codes of conduct on such matters as toxic materials, waste reduction, chemical-accident minimisation, worker safety and community consultation. This initiative began in Canada spreading to the USA, Europe and Asia. The British Responsible Care Initiative was launched in 1989 by the CIA.
Rio: Refers to the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. The declaration was agreed in Rio de Janeiro. See "Sustainable Development", below.
Risk: The likelihood of the hazardous properties of a chemical causing harm to people or the environment. Risk depends on exposure including the way the substance is used or is likely to reach the environment.
Risk assessment: The determination of the emissions, pathways and rates of movement of a substance and its transformation or degradation in order to estimate the concentration/doses to which people or parts of the environment may be exposed. Scientists compare the hazard profile and the exposure assessment to characterise the risk, they build in uncertainty factors to allow for uncertainty in predictions or exposures and for effects on different species. When assessing risks for humans, scientists include uncertainty factors to take account of extrapolating information from tests on laboratory animals and variation in the human population. Detailed risk assessments have been carried out on relatively few chemicals. In this Strategy, we distinguish between two types of risk assessment. The European chemicals industry association CEFIC has announced that it will carry out basic risk assessments for those chemicals where the hazard assessment indicates potential concern. Where necessary, detailed targeted risk assessments will focus on the uses of the chemicals and on those parts of the environment of concern.
Stakeholder: In this Strategy, taken to mean those that have an interest in the production and use of chemicals and the effect they have on the environment and human health via environmental exposure. Participants in the Stakeholder Forum will include individual companies producing, importing and using chemicals, the scientific community, environmental and conservation organisations, trade associations, consumer protection organisations and trade unions.
Sustainable development: Defined in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. The Government's sustainable development key objectives are social progress which recognises the needs of everyone, effective protection of the environment, prudent use of natural resources, and maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment. In the context of this Strategy, sustainable development means encouraging a continuing reduction in the risks presented by chemicals to the environment while maintaining economic competitiveness. It aims to achieve the early phase-out of those chemicals identified as representing an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment. See the Sustainable Development pages.
Sustainable production and use of chemicals: A Government consultation paper published in July 1998. The UK Chemicals Strategy builds on that paper and the responses to it, setting out policies and aims for the next 20 years.
Teratogenicity: A property of a substance causing abnormalities in the embryo or foetus when administered to the mother or maternal organism.
Toxicity: Harmfulness to living organisms. Toxicity is the capacity of a substance to cause toxic effects to organisms or their progeny, such as reduction in survival, growth and reproduction, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, and endocrine disruption (see separate entries for these).
Acronyms:
BATNEEC: Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost
BAF: Bioaccumulation Factor
BCF: Bioconcentration Factor
BUAV: British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection
CA: Competent Authority
CAD: Chemical Agents Directive
CAS: Chemical Abstracts System
CEFAS: Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Research
CEFIC: European Chemical Industry Council, Brussels (Conseil Europeen des Federations de l'Industrie Chimique)
CONCAWE: The oil companies European organisations for environment and health protection.
CEPAD: Conseil European des Phenols Alkyles et Derives
CHIP: Chemicals Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply (UK Regulations)
CIA: the UK Chemical Industries Association
CICAD: Concise International Chemical Assessment Document
CLC: Chemistry Leadership Council
COSHH: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (UK Regulations)
DDT: Dichlorodiphenyl Trichloroethane
DICIDA: Development Initiative for Chemistry Industry Dependent Areas
DNEL: Derived No Effect Level
DTA: direct toxicity assessment
ECB: European Chemical Bureau in the Joint Research Centre at ISPRA, Italy
ECETOC: European Centre for Eco-toxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals
EINECS: European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances
ELINCS: European List of Notified Chemical Substances
ELV: Emission Limit Values
EQS: Environmental Quality Standards
ERCA: European Rubber Chemicals Association
ESR: Existing Substances Regulation
ETAD: Ecological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigments Manufacturers
ETBPP: Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme (see terms)
EUSES: European Union System for the Evaluation of Substances
FAO: Food and Agricultural Organisation (UN)
GATT: General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, now under the World Trade Organisation
GLP: Good Laboratory Practise
HSE: Health and Safety Executive
HPV: High Production Volume
ICCA: International Council of Chemical Associations (see terms)
IGHRC: Interdepartmental Group on Health Risks from Chemicals
IISRP: International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers
ILO: International Labour Organisation
IOMC: Interorganisation Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals
IPC: Integrated pollution control
IPCS: International Programme on Chemical Safety
IPPC: Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control
IUCLID: International Uniform Chemical Information Database (for existing substances)
LAPC: local air pollution control
LOAEL: Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level
LOEC: Lowest Observed Effect Concentration: The lowest test concentration at which a chemical is observed to have a "statistically significant" effect on test organisms.
MCCP: Medium Chain Chlorinated Paraffins
MEL: Maximum Exposure Limit
MOS: Margin of Safety, derived from PEC/PNEC-ratio
NOAEL: No Observed Adverse Effect Level
NOEC: No Observed Effect Concentration
OCPA: Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OSOR: One Substance, One Regulation
OSPAR: Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (the OSPAR Convention) (see terms)
PCBs: polychlorinated biphenyls
PEC: Predicted Environmental Concentration: estimated environmental concentration based on either measured or calculated data.
PEC/PNEC ratio: If < 1 then no risk (for the environment). I f > 1 then there is a risk (which has to be managed)
PIC: Prior Informed Consent
PNEC: Predicted No Effects Concentration
POPs: Persistent Organic Pollutants
PVC: polyvinyl chloride
QSAR: Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships
RAR: Risk Assessment Report
RATG: Risk Assessment Task Group (of the American Chemical Council)
RCEP: Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution
REACH: Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals ((Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006))
SEPA: Scottish Environment Protection Agency
SIAM: SIDS Initial Assessment Meeting
SIAR: SIDS Initial Assessment Report
SIDS: Substance Information Data Sets
TGD: Technical Guidance Document
UNECE: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
UNEP: United Nations Environment Programme
UNIDO: United Nations Industrial Development Organisation
UNITAR: United Nations Institute for Training and Research
vPvB: Very Persistent, Very Bioaccumulative
WHO: World Health Organisation
WTO: World Trade Organisation
Page last modified: 15 June 2007
Page published: 4 December 2002