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Chemical safety
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Chemical safety
Chemical safety includes all safety policies, procedures and practices designed to minimize the risk of exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals. This includes the risks of exposure to persons handling the chemicals, to the surrounding environment, and to the communities and ecosystems within that environment. Manufactured chemicals, either pure or in mixtures, solutions and emulsions, are ubiquitous in modern society, at industrial, occupational and private scale. However, there are chemicals that should not mix or get in contact with others, as they can produce byproducts that may be toxic, carcinogenic, explosive etc., or can be dangerous in themselves. To avoid disasters and mishaps, maintaining safety is paramount.
Chemical safety refers to safety issues surrounding the use, production, transport and handling of chemicals at large or small manufacturing facilities, laboratories, non-chemical sites that use manufactured chemicals for their business, or homes during everyday activities. While there is some overlap, it is different from process safety, which is concerned with more than just hazardous chemicals (extending for example to refined and unrefined hydrocarbons). Process safety is specific to industrial process plants, and focuses primarily on major accidents rather than both immediate and long-term effects (such as chemical carcinogenity).
The hazardous nature of many chemicals may be increased when mixed with other chemicals, heated or handled inappropriately. In a chemically safe environment, users are able to take appropriate actions in case of accidents, although many incidents of exposure to chemical hazards occur outside controlled environments such as manufacturing plants or laboratories.
It is estimated that 1.6 million human deaths occur each year from contact with hazardous chemicals and that in 2016, 45 million disability-adjusted life-years were lost, a significant increase from 2012.
Chemicals in use in industry and research have a range of properties which cause them to be hazardous to life. These include explosiveness, flammability, toxicity, carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. Corrosive substances such as strong alkalis or acids can cause chemical burning. Any one chemical or mixture may exhibit several of these properties.
Toxic materials may be solids in powdered or finely divided form, liquids and gases. Any of these materials may all be absorbed by inhalation, directly through the skin of by contact with mucous membranes in the nose or eyes. Some chemicals may persist in the body for substantial periods and can continue to exhibit toxicity. Examples of such materials include mercury, arsenic, dioxins, and many organic solvents which can be stored in fat cells.
Environmental risks may be difficult to evaluate and may take years to become apparent. The risk to the Earth's ozone layer from the release of CFCs required the investigative powers of scientists throughout the world to understand fully. Science is still working out the seriousness of the effects of persistent halogenated organics on the marine food chain, with some of these chemicals becoming concentrated in the fatty deposits of top predators in concentrations that appear to effect their reproductive success.
The management and control of chemical safety is widely developed through primary legislation, and orders derived from such legislation in the western world and in Australasia. The implementation of such legislation follows a variety of patterns, from the European model of detailed directives and orders implemented through country-specific legislation to the US model of wide-ranging federal enactments. The control of this is divided between State legislation and federal government. Examples from these areas are described below.
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Chemical safety
Chemical safety includes all safety policies, procedures and practices designed to minimize the risk of exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals. This includes the risks of exposure to persons handling the chemicals, to the surrounding environment, and to the communities and ecosystems within that environment. Manufactured chemicals, either pure or in mixtures, solutions and emulsions, are ubiquitous in modern society, at industrial, occupational and private scale. However, there are chemicals that should not mix or get in contact with others, as they can produce byproducts that may be toxic, carcinogenic, explosive etc., or can be dangerous in themselves. To avoid disasters and mishaps, maintaining safety is paramount.
Chemical safety refers to safety issues surrounding the use, production, transport and handling of chemicals at large or small manufacturing facilities, laboratories, non-chemical sites that use manufactured chemicals for their business, or homes during everyday activities. While there is some overlap, it is different from process safety, which is concerned with more than just hazardous chemicals (extending for example to refined and unrefined hydrocarbons). Process safety is specific to industrial process plants, and focuses primarily on major accidents rather than both immediate and long-term effects (such as chemical carcinogenity).
The hazardous nature of many chemicals may be increased when mixed with other chemicals, heated or handled inappropriately. In a chemically safe environment, users are able to take appropriate actions in case of accidents, although many incidents of exposure to chemical hazards occur outside controlled environments such as manufacturing plants or laboratories.
It is estimated that 1.6 million human deaths occur each year from contact with hazardous chemicals and that in 2016, 45 million disability-adjusted life-years were lost, a significant increase from 2012.
Chemicals in use in industry and research have a range of properties which cause them to be hazardous to life. These include explosiveness, flammability, toxicity, carcinogenicity and teratogenicity. Corrosive substances such as strong alkalis or acids can cause chemical burning. Any one chemical or mixture may exhibit several of these properties.
Toxic materials may be solids in powdered or finely divided form, liquids and gases. Any of these materials may all be absorbed by inhalation, directly through the skin of by contact with mucous membranes in the nose or eyes. Some chemicals may persist in the body for substantial periods and can continue to exhibit toxicity. Examples of such materials include mercury, arsenic, dioxins, and many organic solvents which can be stored in fat cells.
Environmental risks may be difficult to evaluate and may take years to become apparent. The risk to the Earth's ozone layer from the release of CFCs required the investigative powers of scientists throughout the world to understand fully. Science is still working out the seriousness of the effects of persistent halogenated organics on the marine food chain, with some of these chemicals becoming concentrated in the fatty deposits of top predators in concentrations that appear to effect their reproductive success.
The management and control of chemical safety is widely developed through primary legislation, and orders derived from such legislation in the western world and in Australasia. The implementation of such legislation follows a variety of patterns, from the European model of detailed directives and orders implemented through country-specific legislation to the US model of wide-ranging federal enactments. The control of this is divided between State legislation and federal government. Examples from these areas are described below.