Descriptive Note

    The International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs) project is an undertaking of the International Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS) that is a joint scientific and technical program of the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). The project is being developed in the context of the cooperation between the IPCS and the Commission of the European Union (CEU).

    An ICSC summarizes essential health and safety information on common chemical substances for their use at the “shop floor” level by workers and employers in factories, agricultures, construction and other work places, including identifications, acute hazards, prevention, first aid/fire fighting, spillage disposal, packaging & labeling, emergency response, storage, physic-chemical properties, effects of short-term/ long-term exposure, and environment data, etc.

    The ICSCs are drafted by scientists from the designated national institutions (so called “Participating Institution”). Draft cards are then peer-reviewed by a committee consisting of internationally recognized experts who take into account advice given by manufacturers, workers’ representatives and Poison Control Centers. Differing opinions about the data on the cards are aired and a consensus must be reached before the card is ready for release.

    The ICSCs have not only scientific, reliable and authoritative data, but also the following unique characteristics:

    (1)All the chemicals on the ICSCs have priority for control. Most of the chemicals on the ICSCs are common chemicals with high toxicity or potential hazards to human health and the environment, among which the internationally banned or severely restricted chemicals and pesticides included.

    (2)The ICSCs summarize essential health and safety information in a clear way. To a large extent, the information provided in the ICSCs conforms to the 1990 ILO Convention (No.170) and Recommendations (No.174) on Safety in the Use of Chemicals at Work. The information on the ICSCs for a given substance is expressed as far as in standardized phrases that are terse, concise and easy to remember. The cards not only offer a basic tool to supply managers, technicians and workers in the workshop environment of chemical factories with information on the safety and control of chemicals that they use, but also they can be useful for the administrative and professionals engaged in occupational safety and health, emergency response, environment protection and safety management.

    Varying numbers of the ICSCs (English version) have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Green, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Polish and Russian, etc. up to now. The worldwide dissemination of the ICSCs strongly promotes global safety management of chemicals, environmental protection and sustainable development.

Suggestions for Viewing and Searching

Users can search and view a card for a specific substance by the following modes:

• With English Chemical Names
• With CAS Numbers
• With ICSC Numbers
• With RTECS Numbers
• With UN Numbers
• With EC Numbers

IMPORTANT LEGAL NOTICE

    Neither the CEC or the IPCS nor any person acting on behalf of the CEC or the IPCS is responsible for the use which might be made of this information. These cards contain the collective views of the IPCS Peer Review Committee and may not reflect in all cases all the detailed requirements included in national legislation on the subject. The user should verify compliance of the cards with the relevant legislation in the country of use.