European experience in chemicals management: integrating science into policy.

The European Union (EU) adopted the first legislation on chemicals management in 1967 with the Dangerous Substances Directive (DSD). Over time the underlying concepts evolved: from hazard identification over risk assessment to safety assessment. In 1981 a premarketing notification scheme was introduced.

[Dental treatment anxiety. A review of useful anxiety-measuring instruments].

Dental anxiety is a common problem. Different tests have been developed to measure the nature and the severity of dental anxiety or phobia. These tests can help to identify highly anxious patients who need special dental care.

Environmental risk assessment of phosphonates, used in domestic laundry and cleaning agents in The Netherlands.

In the long-term cooperative project Voluntary Plan of Action (1990) between the Dutch Soap and Detergent Association (NVZ) and the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) environmental risk assessments of several main components of laundry cleaning formulations were completed. As a part of that project the environmental risk assessment of HEDP, ATMP, EDTMP and DTPMP phosphonates used in detergent applications has been carried out according to the EU Technical Guidance Document for Environmental Risk Assessment for New and Existing Chemicals. All PEC/PNEC ratios were well below 1.

Selecting chemical substances for the UN-ECE POP protocol.

In 1998 the UN-ECE POP Protocol was signed. Sixteen substances are included in the protocol. They can be characterised as persistent, bioaccumulating and toxic organic substances prone to long-range atmospheric transport.

Environmental risk assessment of musk ketone and musk xylene in The Netherlands in accordance with the EU-TGD.

An environmental risk assessment has been carried out for musk ketone and musk xylene according to the EU Technical Guidance Document for Environmental Risk Assessment for New and Existing Substances [1]. Musk ketone and musk xylene are used in fragrances for cosmetics and household products. For the fragrance industry these are important fragrance ingredients because of their excellent substantivity as well as for their unique smell, which determines largely the odor of a product.