Chile | Procedures for Prioritizing and Assessing Chemical Risks approved by the Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health have approved the procedure for prioritizing chemicals of interest and the procedure for assessing their risks.

The prioritization procedure establishes criteria for selecting chemicals that will be evaluated for their risks to human health and the environment. The criteria include the classification of the substance's dangerousness, the annual volume imported or manufactured, and the intended use sector.

Substances that score equal to or greater than 15 will be considered of interest for their risk assessment.

The risk assessment procedure establishes the steps that must be followed to assess the risks associated with exposure to chemicals. The steps include identifying the hazard, describing the hazard, evaluating the exposure, and characterizing the risk.

The risk assessment must be carried out by the companies that manufacture or import the selected chemicals. The assessment must take into account the local conditions of use of the substances in the country, and it must use the best possible data.

If the risk assessment determines that the chemical presents an unacceptable risk to humans and/or the environment, then the importer or manufacturer of the substance must implement additional and complementary risk management measures.

Impact:

The approval of these procedures is an important step in the management of risks associated with chemicals in Chile. The procedures establish a clear framework for the selection and evaluation of chemicals that pose the greatest risk to human health and the environment.

The procedures will also help to ensure that risk management measures are adequate for the identified risk levels.

Recommendations:

It is recommended that chemical manufacturers or importers familiarize themselves with the approved procedures and begin planning their risk assessments.

It is also recommended that chemical manufacturers or importers who use chemicals of interest for their production processes provide the necessary information to the importers or manufacturers of the substances, so that they can carry out the corresponding risk assessment.

Notification: G/TBT/N/CHL/671

Documents: 24_00091_00_s.pdf