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Chemicals management
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The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts performs environmental hazard assessments of chemicals used in Australia. It undertakes assessments for new chemicals and selected chemicals that are already in use.
These assessments are carried out as part of the National Registration Scheme (for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals) and the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS).
The National Registration Scheme is administered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (AVPMA) and NICNAS is a statutory scheme within the Office of Chemical Safety which is part of the Therapeutic Goods Administration in the portfolio of the Minister for Health and Ageing.
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts participates in these schemes by providing environmental assessment reports and advice to the coordinating agencies that administer the relevant Acts. In the National Registration Scheme, the assessments might be for new active ingredients in plant protection and animal health products, or for active ingredients already registered for which the use is being extended. Under NICNAS a wide range of industrial chemicals are covered, such as photographic chemicals, dyes, oil additives, water treatment chemicals, cosmetics and leather treatment chemicals.
The environmental assessment deals with the non-human environment, that is the assessment is made on the potential of the chemical(s) to affect the environment and ecosystems. The Department of Health and Ageing reviews the chemical's potential to affect human health while NICNAS reviews occupational health and safety aspects. The AVPMA performs reviews on the chemical's efficacy and potential to lead to residues in food.
The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts establishes the hazard of a product to the environment by using the information provided by the company and the information available from other sources, such as literature searches and overseas assessment reports. This information includes chemical and physical properties environmental fate studies and test results for such organisms as mammals, birds, fish, insects, crustaceans, plants, etc.
The environmental hazard of the chemical is assessed by considering the exposure and toxicity data. It determines:
The hazard assessment is a comparison of the results from the evaluation of the exposure and the toxic effects. It takes into account the method and frequency of application, as well as the substance's persistence and mobility in the environment. If levels in the environment are much lower than those at which toxicity occurs, the hazard may be accepted as low. Depending on the degree of environmental hazard, actions to minimise this hazard may be considered, such as specific restraints or label instructions and warnings.
For more information about these activities, please contact:
Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601 Australia
Telephone: Within Australia (02) 6274 1560 - International 61-2 6274 1560
Fax: Within Australia (02) 6274 1164 - International 61-2 6274 1164
Email: robert.berthon@environment.gov.au