Chemicals play a vital part in our daily life. Chemicals can also cause unintended harm to human health. More than 25% of the global burden of disease is linked to environmental factors, including chemicals exposures. The production and use of chemicals continues to increase worldwide, particularly in rapidly developing economies.
Enhanced global efforts are needed to share expertise, to assess, and to manage the risks associated with exposure to hazardous chemicals. There is a need to identify knowledge gaps and emerging issues, and to provide a forum for scientific exchange and collaboration on risk assessment.
Additionally, this assessment network aims to identify all emerging issues over the human health associated with chemical products; sharing information about the different workloads around the world for avoiding duplicate efforts as well as cooperation to WHO's programs.
To support these efforts, WHO has today announced the launch of a network of leading risk assessment institutions from around the world, to improve chemical risk assessment globally. The network will scale up action and facilitate sustainable interaction between institutions on chemical risk assessment. The network is a voluntary, collaborative initiative.
Network objectives:
- Provide a forum for scientific and technical exchange;
- Facilitate and contribute to capacity building;
- Promote best practices and the harmonization of methodologies;
- Assist in the identification of research needs and promote the application of new science in risk assessment practice;
- Assist in the identification of emerging risks to human health from chemicals;
- Share information about work programmes to avoid duplication of effort; and
- Upon request, assist WHO in the development of training and other materials in support of the above.
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