Chemical safety in the Western Pacific

Chemical safety is achieved by dealing with chemicals appropriately to ensure the

safety of people and the environment. The term ‘chemical safety’ encompasses all
chemicals – natural and manufactured – and the full range of exposure situations from
the natural presence of chemicals in the environment to their extraction or synthesis,
industrial production, transport, use and disposal. Key chemicals of concern today
include asbestos, pesticides, lead, mercury, and dioxins.

In addition to these environmental exposures, chemical risks in the health sector must
also be considered. For example, the harm caused by the improper management of
health-care waste generated by hospitals and other sites of medical activity includes
infections from contaminated syringes, radiation burns, injuries, and poisoning by toxins
in wastewater and pharmaceutical products