Chemical safety
Chemicals play an essential part in our everyday life. Life without chemicals is not possible – even natural chemicals are still chemicals and may be of very harmful nature. A chemical’s harmfulness for health and environment is determined by:
- The chemical’s intrinsic properties (hazard)
- exposure (dose, duration, frequency, method)
Chemicals may influence human life as well as the natural environment throughout their whole life cycle:
- directly – there is a direct exposure to the chemical
- indirectly – e.g. the chemical is initially released into the environment – air, water, soil; then carried on into human organism through contaminated food, drinking water or air
It is very important to use chemicals in a manner that excludes or minimises the potential harm stemming from their hazardous properties to the users’ health, environment and property. Chemicals of hazardous intrinsic properties may be considered safe to use if it can be proved and assured that the chemical does not cause hazard to health or environment if used in a prescribed way and for a prescribed purpose; relevant risk reduction methods reducing exposure to humans or the environment are also applied, if necessary.
The purpose of chemical safety system is to ensure the protection of human health and property as well as protection of environment from direct or indirect harmful effects of the chemicals. However, it must be done in a way that preserves economic sustainability and competitiveness.
Chemical safety is a very broad field – from production to waste conditioning. Chemical safety is a so-called horizontal topic that permeates institutions of the public sector as well as the private sector; it must be integrated into various different fields (for example into industrial production of chemicals, their further use – production of products containing chemicals, transport, environmental protection, etc). Chemical safety personally affects each and every one of us in everyday life. According to European Union (EU) chemicals policy, a high level of protection of human health and the environment both for the present and future generations must be ensured (
Treaty of Amsterdam) by implementing the precautionary principle.
The chemicals sector is one of the areas that is relatively specifically regulated on EU level, therefore, we base our activity on the EU chemicals policy while taking into account, where necessary, the peculiarities of Estonia.
Implementation of the so-called REACH-regulation, which incorporates the new EU chemical policy, is now one of the main tasks.
A very smooth and well-coordinated cooperation between ministries and agencies whose responsibilities include chemical safety in their area of government is required to make sure the chemical safety system functions effectively.
Ministries involved in chemical safety (and their chemical safety sector keywords):
Ministry of Social Affairs – the ministry coordinating the chemical safety sector (Environmental Health and Chemical Safety Unit of the Public Health Department); occupational safety and health protection; Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications – transport, sustainable economic development of chemical industry; Ministry of the Environment – environmental protection incl. waste, pollutants, pollution permits, etc; Ministry of Agriculture – plant protection products, fertilizers; Ministry of the Interior – civil protection; activity of local governments; Ministry of Finance – financing of activities;
Ministry of Education and Research – integrating chemical safety into study programmes;
Ministry of Foreign Affairs – international agreements in the field of chemical safety, conventions, etc.
Chemical Safety Commission was created to coordinate the chemical safety system.
The Health Board is a governmental authority within the government area of the Ministry of Social Affairs, which started work 1 January 2010 and combined tasks of the Health Care Board, the Health Protection Inspectorate and the Chemicals Notification Centre. The Health Board is also a competent authority in the field on chemicals (including detergents and biocides) and cosmetic products.
State supervisory authorities on chemical safety:
Labour Inspectorate The Health Board
Technical Surveillance Authority
Consumer Protection Board Agricultural Board
The Environmental Inspectorate
Rescue Service
Tax and Customs Board
An important part in chemical safety system is played by the local governments who can predominantly direct the risks stemming from business activity (for example by supplying various permits).
Estonian Poisoning Information Centre hotline ( www.16662.ee)
The poisoning information hotline 16662 (the number for calls made from abroad is (+372) 62 69 390) has been open since 6 October 2008. The hotline is open from Monday till Saturday 09:00 – 09:00 am on workdays (on weekends does not work) and predominantly provides information on acute cases of poisoning. Standard rates apply for calls made to the hotline.
The hotline provides an opportunity to enquire anonymously about any kind of acute poisoning cases (such as administering false doses of medicine, using household chemicals, poisoning concerning children). However, the caller is redirected to the Merimetsa branch of the West Tallinn Central Hospital in case of food poisoning. The hotline is open for citizens as well as health service professionals and specialists of the rescue service agency and various other agencies. The centre employs specialists who have attended international courses on toxicology and have a long experience in emergency medicine. Physicians who have extensive knowledge and experience in toxicology are contacted in complicated cases. The hotline call operators speak Russian, Finnish and English as well as Estonian.
Important links in the field of chemical safety
The Federation of Estonian Chemical Industries
Baltic Environmental Forum European Chemicals Bureau European Chemicals Agency
The Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry (chemicals)
European Commission (environment)
Public Health Portal of the European Union (chemical risks)
WHO (chemical safety)
OECD (chemical safety)
Women in Europe for a Common Future (non-governmental organization)
Interesting links regarding chemicals
Chemicals around us (interactive guide)
