Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 33

Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 33

iv

11.2 

Evaluation of environmental effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26

12. PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS BY INTERNATIONAL BODIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  26

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  27

APPENDIX 1 — SOURCE DOCUMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  32

APPENDIX 2 — CICAD PEER REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  33

APPENDIX 3 — CICAD FINAL REVIEW BOARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  33

INTERNATIONAL CHEMICAL SAFETY CARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  35

RÉSUMÉ D’ORIENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  49

RESUMEN DE ORIENTACIÓN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  51

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Barium and barium compounds

1

FOREWORD

Concise International Chemical Assessment

Documents (CICADs) are the latest in a family of

publications from the International Programme on

Chemical Safety (IPCS) — a cooperative programme of

the World Health Organization (WHO), the International

Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations

Environment Programme (UNEP). CICADs join the

Environmental Health Criteria documents (EHCs) as

authoritative documents on the risk assessment of

chemicals.

International Chemical Safety Cards on the

relevant chemical(s) are attached at the end of the

CICAD, to provide the reader with concise information

on the protection of human health and on emergency

action. They are produced in a separate peer-reviewed

procedure at IPCS. They may be complemented by

information from IPCS Poison Information Monographs

(PIM), similarly produced separately from the CICAD

process.

CICADs are concise documents that provide sum-

maries of the relevant scientific information concerning

the potential effects of chemicals upon human health

and/or the environment. They are based on selected

national or regional evaluation documents or on existing

EHCs. Before acceptance for publication as CICADs by

IPCS, these documents undergo extensive peer review

by internationally selected experts to ensure their

completeness, accuracy in the way in which the original

data are represented, and the validity of the conclusions

drawn.

The primary objective of CICADs is characteri-

zation of hazard and dose–response from exposure to a

chemical. CICADs are not a summary of all available data

on a particular chemical; rather, they include only that

information considered critical for characterization of the

risk posed by the chemical. The critical studies are,

however, presented in sufficient detail to support the

conclusions drawn. For additional information, the

reader should consult the identified source documents

upon which the CICAD has been based.

Risks to human health and the environment will

vary considerably depending upon the type and extent

of exposure. Responsible authorities are strongly

encouraged to characterize risk on the basis of locally

measured or predicted exposure scenarios. To assist the

reader, examples of exposure estimation and risk

characterization are provided in CICADs, whenever

possible. These examples cannot be considered as

representing all possible exposure situations, but are

provided as guidance only. The reader is referred to EHC

170

1

 for advice on the derivation of health-based

guidance values.

While every effort is made to ensure that CICADs

represent the current status of knowledge, new informa-

tion is being developed constantly. Unless otherwise

stated, CICADs are based on a search of the scientific

literature to the date shown in the executive summary. In

the event that a reader becomes aware of new informa-

tion that would change the conclusions drawn in a

CICAD, the reader is requested to contact IPCS to inform

it of the new information.

Procedures

The flow chart on page 2 shows the procedures

followed to produce a CICAD. These procedures are

designed to take advantage of the expertise that exists

around the world — expertise that is required to produce

the high-quality evaluations of toxicological, exposure,

and other data that are necessary for assessing risks to

human health and/or the environment. The IPCS Risk

Assessment Steering Group advises the Co-ordinator,

IPCS, on the selection of chemicals for an IPCS risk

assessment, the appropriate form of the document (i.e.,

EHC or CICAD), and which institution bears the

responsibility of the document production, as well as on

the type and extent of the international peer review.

The first draft is based on an existing national,

regional, or international review. Authors of the first

draft are usually, but not necessarily, from the institution

that developed the original review. A standard outline

has been developed to encourage consistency in form.

The first draft undergoes primary review by IPCS and

one or more experienced authors of criteria documents to

ensure that it meets the specified criteria for CICADs.

The draft is then sent to an international peer

review by scientists known for their particular expertise

and by scientists selected from an international roster

compiled by IPCS through recommendations from IPCS

national Contact Points and from IPCS Participating

Institutions. Adequate time is allowed for the selected

experts to undertake a thorough review. Authors are

required to take reviewers’ comments into account and

revise their draft, if necessary. The resulting second draft

is submitted to a Final Review Board together with the

reviewers’ comments.

1

 International Programme on Chemical Safety (1994)

Assessing human health risks of chemicals: derivation

of guidance values for health-based exposure limits.

Geneva, World Health Organization (Environmental

Health Criteria 170).

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