Chemical Legislation: A Laboratory Chemist's View

Abstract

Chemicals can be dangerous. Legislative measures are needed to minimize the risk arising from manipulation, uses and abuses of toxic or otherwise dangerous chemicals. In this review current European chemical legislation is shortly described and some of its aspects, such as excessive formalism, narrowly defined categories of toxicity and of other hazards are criticized. It is pointed out that information on dangerous chemicals provided by European Chemical Agency, as well as that found in a typical Safety Data Sheet, is of limited practical use and can often be misleading. Attempts to exclude liability for any possible misuse of chemical products often lead to exaggeration of hazardous properties and to excessively prudent precautionary measures. Excessive warnings may paradoxically lead users to neglect even the well-founded ones thus underestimating serious risks. Absolute safety is conceivable only in a state of absolute immobility.