Strengthening Australia's Chemical Regulation

Humans are exposed to a myriad of chemicals every day, some of which have been established to have deleterious effects on human health. Regulatory frameworks play a vital role in safeguarding human health through the management of chemicals and their risks. For this review, we focused on agricultura...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	International journal of environmental research and public health Vol. 19; no. 11; p. 6673
Main Authors:	Gabriela, Arlene, Leong, Sarah, Ong, Philip S W, Weinert, Derek, Hlubucek, Joe, Tait, Peter W
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Switzerland MDPI AG 30-05-2022 MDPI
Subjects:	Asthma Cancer Chemical residues Chemicals Disease Flame retardants Grey literature Perfluoroalkyl & polyfluoroalkyl substances Pesticides Regulation Residues Reviews Risk assessment Risk management VOCs Volatile organic compounds Australia Canada United States > US APVMA Australian chemical regulatory frameworks AICIS Australian chemical policies agvet chemicals industrial chemicals chemical exposure human health
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Summary:	Humans are exposed to a myriad of chemicals every day, some of which have been established to have deleterious effects on human health. Regulatory frameworks play a vital role in safeguarding human health through the management of chemicals and their risks. For this review, we focused on agricultural and veterinary (Agvet) chemicals and industrial chemicals, which are regulated, respectively, by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), and the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS). The current frameworks have been considered fragmented, inefficient, and most importantly, unsafe in prioritizing human health. We evaluated these frameworks, identified gaps, and suggested improvements that would help bring chemical regulation in Australia in line with comparative regulations in the EU, US, and Canada. Several weaknesses in the Australian frameworks include the lack of a national program to monitor chemical residues, slow pace in conducting chemical reviews, inconsistent risk management across states and territories, a paucity of research efforts on human health impacts, and inadequate framework assessment systems. Recommendations for Australia include establishing a national surveillance and chemical residue monitoring system, harmonizing risk assessment and management across jurisdictions, improving chemical review efficiency, and developing regular performance review mechanisms to ensure that human health is protected.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:	1660-4601 1661-7827 1660-4601
DOI:	10.3390/ijerph19116673