New Era in Chemicals Management

With the publication of the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals in the Official Gazette, a new era in chemical management has begun in our country. The regulation is based on the principle that the responsibility for protecting chemicals from potential adverse effects on human health or the environment lies with the manufacturers and importers of these chemicals. In other words, the responsibility for managing the risks of substances belongs to those who manufacture, import, place on the market or use these substances within the scope of their professional activities. From now on, substances manufactured in quantities of 1 tonne or more, or imported as such or in mixtures or in articles, cannot be placed on the market without registration. Additionally, Chemical Safety Assessments will be conducted for substances manufactured or imported in quantities of 10 tonnes or more per year. Both this assessment and the Chemical Safety Reports and Safety Data Sheets that must be prepared for substances classified as hazardous as a result will now be prepared by Chemical Evaluation Specialists. The Association of Turkish Chemical Manufacturers (TKSD) has begun to organize training and examinations for Chemical Evaluation Specialists (CES) in cooperation with TSE within the scope of the authorization and accreditation obtained. In June and July 2018, candidates who participated in the trainings organized by TKSD and subsequently passed the TSE Certification examinations received their certificates as Turkey's first Chemical Evaluation Specialists. The next training will start in September 2018. The TSE Certification examination for the 64-hour training that lasts nine days will take place on 28 September. Training and examination details can be accessed from the TKSD web page (www.tksd.org.tr).