Chemical substance is an indispensable part of modern daily life. Almost no industry does not use chemicals, and no economic sector does not use chemicals. Millions of people around the world live richer, more productive and more comfortable lives because there are thousands of chemicals on the market today. These chemicals are used in a variety of products and processes, although they are major contributors to the national and world economy, their voice management is critical throughout the life cycle to avoid significant and increasingly complex risks to human health and ecosystems and substantial national economic costs.
Industries that produce and use these substances have a significant impact on employment, trade and economic growth around the world, but they can have adverse effects on human health and the environment. Over time, global economic and regulatory forces affect changes in the production, transportation, import, export, use and disposal of chemicals. Due to the growing demand for chemical based products and processes, the international chemical industry has grown dramatically since the 1970s. In 1970, the value of global chemical production was 171 billion US dollars; By 2010, it has grown to 4.12 trillion US dollars.
Many governments have enacted laws and established institutional structures to manage the growing hazards of chemicals. Major companies have adopted chemical management programmes and there are many international conventions and agencies dealing with these chemicals globally. However,
The increasingly complex background of chemicals and the increasingly long and complex supply chain of chemicals, including waste, reveal various gaps, errors and inconsistencies in government and international policies and business practices. They add to the growing international concern about the threat to community and ecosystem health posed by mismanagement of chemicals and the ability to achieve the goals of the Johannesburg Plan of implementation, which aims to minimize significant adverse environmental and human health impacts from the production and use of chemicals by 2020.
These issues are important for all countries, but they are particularly prominent in industrialized economies facing urgent needs to achieve the goals of development, national security and poverty eradication. Developing countries and countries with economies in transition can learn from the fragmented and sectoral approach to chemicals management that characterizes conventional chemicals policies in developed countries. In order to protect human health and the environment and fully benefit from the value that chemicals can generate, all countries must include means for the sound management of chemicals in their economic and social development priorities.
