Sharing toxicological information on industrial chemicals

A clear and comprehensive appreciation of the toxicological hazards of a su bstance is an essential prerequisite to establishing appropriate, balanced and effective risk management measures in the workplace. For many substance s, there are currently numerous problems and issues surrounding: the adequa cy of the toxicological information base; its interpretation; the transfer of key messages to, and their understanding by, those who need to take acti on; and the roles and practices of the various standard-setting bodies oper ating in this area and the interaction between them. This paper briefly tou ches on these issues, on a range of activities and initiatives directed at improving the current situation, and on the implications for all those invo lved, particularly the world occupational hygiene community. Crown Copyrigh t (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of British Occupatio nal Hygiene Society, All rights reserved.