Chemical substances and health protection

TOPIC

Chemical substances and health protection

Chemistry, health and sustainability

The rapid progress in scientific and technological knowledge has led to a large increase in the production and use of natural and synthetic chemicals that are everywhere around us today from tax receipts to industrial products, from healthcare to agriculture, transport, construction, to energy, up to consumer goods such as detergents, cosmetics, fabrics, toys, medical surgical devices, biocides.

Chemistry plays a fundamental role in the development of society and has contributed to improving the quality of life, but it has also opened up new exposure and risk scenarios for human and environmental health that require targeted intervention.

Complete information on the effects that chemicals have on human health and the environment is not always available, and we must therefore ensure that we treat chemicals with care, so as to minimize any harmful impact from exposure to them with adequate management of chemicals along the entire life cycle from production to disposal.

To this end, there are a number of national and international structures dedicated to the regulation, control, and surveillance of the production and use of chemical products.

The priority objective today is the sustainability of development for the protection of health, and it is precisely from chemistry that answers come with strategies for the development of safer production processes, with the improvement of the environmental compatibility of products, and with the study and development of circular economy processes.



Back Valutazione del pericolo

La valutazione del pericolo richiede la conoscenza delle proprietà intrinseche della sostanza capaci di arrecare un danno all’uomo o all’ambiente.

Per la valutazione dei pericoli fisici è necessario valutare le proprietà chimico fisiche delle sostanze.
Per i pericoli per la salute umana, è necessario valutare le possibili vie di ingresso della sostanza all’interno dell’organismo (via inalatoria, dermica e orale).
Per i pericoli per l’ambiente, è necessario valutare gli effetti ecotossicologici nei diversi comparti (acquatico, terrestre, atmosferico, ecc.).

Per la identificazione del pericolo vengono condotti test o raccolti dati disponibili

I test di tossicità per la salute umana possono essere condotti su:

  • animali da laboratorio (in vivo) ma solo a seguito di autorizzazione da parte di ECHA;
  • organi e tessuti prelevati da animali (ex vivo);
  • colture cellulari, microorganismi, frazioni subcellulari, enzimi purificati (in vitro);
  • oppure stimati attraverso modelli matematici e predittivi (in silico).

I test di ecotossicità per l’ambiente sono relativi a:

  • comparto (acquatico, terrestre o nessun comparto nel caso dei test tossicologici su mammiferi);
  • livello trofico (consumatore primario, consumatore secondario e produttore primario).

Gli studi tossicologici ed ecotossicologici devono essere condotti secondo le specifiche Linee Guida sui Test dell’OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development – Test Guidelines) in centri di ricerca certificati per le Buone pratiche di laboratorio (GLP – Good Laboratory Practice).


NC for Chemicals

Sostanze chimiche

Dipartimenti/Centri/Servizi

Chemicals, cosmetics and consumer protection

Topics

Chemical substances and health protection Chemistry, health and sustainability