The current status and effects of global harmonization of the classification and labelling of dangerous goods and materials

In Chapter 19 of Agenda 21 regarding the worldwide environmentally sound ma nagement of toxic (dangerous) chemicals the UN Conference on Environment an d Development (UNCED) in June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro agreed to adopt - amon gst others - the global harmonization of classification and labelling of ch emicals by the year 2000. Under the name of,,global harmonization" this pro gramme has made considerable progress, but it is not generally known in det ail - except by those directly involved - what has happened, and what will still happen, what harmonization in this context means, and what the conseq uences will be when this ambitious goal is finally reached. The submitted c ontribution attempts as far as possible to overcome this information defici t.