Chemicals in the Environment: Assessing and Managing Risk

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Royal Society of Chemistry, 2006 - 158 pages
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Rising concern in recent years over the possible adverse environmental consequences of the use of chemicals has led to a steady increase in national activity towards greater regulation, in addition to voluntary agreements with manufacturers for risk management of certain products. This book begins by reviewing the current framework of legislation for the regulation of chemicals in the UK and then reports expert views on both the current situation and possible future developments. Subsequent chapters consider some of the scientific and technical issues, including the evaluation of the risks which chemicals can pose to human life and the environment, and the problems relating to evaluating the risks associated with metals in the environment. Finally, the predictive methods used to model the behaviour of organic chemicals within the environment are described.Highly topical, and with authoritative contributions from international experts, this book covers both the scientific underpinning and the legislative and practical issues of this emotive subject. The detailed coverage of a topic that affects many sectors of industry and society will make it popular with a wide audience of individuals from government organisations, industry or academic research - particularly those in environmental chemistry sectors.

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Contents

The Current Regulation of Environmental Chemicals
1
2 Protection of the Water Environment
2
3 Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
6
4 The Notification of New Substances Regulations
7
5 Existing Substances Regulations
8
6 New European Chemicals Policy REACH
10
7 Other European and UK Regulations on Chemicals
11
8 International Activities on Chemicals
13
2 Chemical Hazard Assessment
66
3 Assessing Risk
67
4 Qualitative vs Quantitative Risk Assessment
68
5 Role of Epidemiology
70
6 Use of Biomarkers for Exposure and Risk Assessment
72
7 Applications of Molecular Biology
73
8 Uncertainties in Human Health Risk Assessment and the Role of Expert Committees
75
9 The Changing Face of Chemical Regulation in Europe
77

9 Voluntary Approaches to Control of Chemicals in the Environment
15
References
18
Chemicals Risk Assessment and Management
21
2 Types of Risk
24
3 Risks and Hazards
26
4 The Evidence for Harm Caused by Industrial Chemicals
29
5 CostBenefit
34
6 Perception of Chemical Risks and the Roles of the Advocates
36
7 The Problems in Controlling Risks from Chemicals
38
8 Industry Initiatives
39
9 REACH
40
10 Conclusions
42
References
43
Future Perspectives in Risk Assessment of Chemicals
45
2 Difficulties in Risk Assessment
49
3 Current Developments
54
4 Future Perspectives
59
5 Conclusions
61
Assessing Risks to Human Health
65
10 Future Perspectives
80
Environmental Risk Assessment
84
2 What are we Trying to Protect?
89
3 What is the EU Legislative Framework?
93
4 What are Some of the Challenges Associated with the Environmental Risk Assessment of Chemicals?
96
References
99
Risk Assessment of Metals in the Environment
102
2 Ecological Risk Assessment
103
3 Comparison of Inorganic and Organic Contaminants
104
4 Problems with the Application of Traditional ERA Approaches to Metals
107
5 Conclusions
123
Acknowledgements
126
Partitioning Persistence and LongRange Transport of Chemicals in the Environment
132
2 Partitioning
134
3 Persistence
142
4 LongRange Transport
148
5 Conclusions
150
Subject Index
154
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Chemicals in the Environment: Assessing and Managing Risk
R M Harrison,R E Hester
Limited preview - 2007
Chemicals in the Environment: Assessing and Managing Risk
Royal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain)
Snippet view - 2006

Common terms and phrases

adverse effects applied approach aquatic associated bioaccumulation bioavailability biological biomarkers cancer cause Chem chemical industry chronic concern contaminants Council Directive criteria dangerous substances developed dose dose–response ecological ecosystem emissions endocrine disrupting endpoints Environment Agency environmental compartments environmental risk assessment estimated European Chemicals European Chemicals Agency European Commission Evaluation example Existing Substances exposure assessment factors Guidance Document half-life harm human health icals identified impact important industrial chemicals levels Mackay measures ment metal concentrations metal toxicity models natural octanol OECD organic partition coefficients persistence persistent organic pollutants pesticides phase plant PNEC Pollution potential predicted programme properties proposed protection QSARs QSPRs quantities REACH regime Regulation regulatory result risk management risks posed ronmental sediment soil speciation species stressors studies synthetic chemicals Technol tion tonnes toxicity toxicogenomic Toxicol Toxicology transport uncertainty uptake

About the author (2006)

The series has been edited by Professors Hester and Harrison since it began in 1994.

Professor Roy Harrison OBE is listed by ISI Thomson Scientific (on ISI Web of Knowledge) as a Highly Cited Researcher in the Environmental Science/Ecology category. He has an h-index of 54 (i.e. 54 of his papers have received 54 or more citations in the literature). In 2004 he was appointed OBE for services to environmental science in the New Year Honours List. He was profiled by the Journal of Environmental Monitoring (Vol 5, pp 39N-41N, 2003). Professor Harrison's research interests lie in the field of environment and human health. His main specialism is in air pollution, from emissions through atmospheric chemical and physical transformations to exposure and effects on human health. Much of this work is designed to inform the development of policy.

Now an emeritus professor, Professor Ron Hester's current activities in chemistry are mainly as an editor and as an external examiner and assessor. He also retains appointments as external examiner and assessor / adviser on courses, individual promotions, and departmental / subject area evaluations both in the UK and abroad.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Chemicals in the Environment
TitleChemicals in the Environment: Assessing and Managing Risk
Volume 22 of Issues in Environmental Scienc
Volume 22 of Issues in environmental science and technology, ISSN 1350-7583
AuthorRoyal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain)
EditorsRonald E. Hester, R. M. Harrison
ContributorRoyal Society of Chemistry (Great Britain).
Editionillustrated
PublisherRoyal Society of Chemistry, 2006
ISBN0854042067, 9780854042067
Length158 pages
  
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