WA11 Governance & Law: Global Perspectives
E145-146
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM, Wednesday
() Mutual Acceptance of Notifications for New Chemicals: Meaningful Discussion and Practical Solutions.
Hewitt, Ph.D., Ann1, McBain, David2, 1 Anacapa Consulting Services Inc., Ventura, California, U.S.A.2 Environment Canada, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada
ABSTRACT- Mutual acceptance of notifications (MAN) is a concept that appeals to a significant community of new chemical producers, importers and exporters because they envisage a time when one information dossier can be used to support marketing of a new chemical in more than one country. This appeal extends to some governments, who see the potential to make more effective and efficient environmental and human health protection decisions in light of knowledge captured in previous government assessments. Under direction from the OECD New Chemicals Task Force, a small group of government and industry experts have developed a vision statement for MAN and concepts that will enable implementation, including a notification process that would operate in parallel to current national systems and an equivalence framework. For substances notified under the parallel process, the equivalence framework would assist in decision-making and, where appropriate, allow asessors to justify in a scientific, risk-based way, why a separate or new exposure and risk assessment may not be necessary. Within an OECD context, this paper analyzes positions on MAN taken by governments and industry and the consequences for sustainable environmental management. By exploring the challenges associated with MAN, the paper seeks to promote meaningful discussion and practical solutions.
Key words: OECD, new chemicals, hazard and risk assessment