Existing Chemicals

Existing chemicals are those industrial chemicals available for use in Australia. They include all the chemicals that are listed on the Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances (AICS).

 

Due to their large number (over 40,000), NICNAS assesses existing chemicals on a priority basis in response to concerns about their health or environmental effects, or both. Any person or organisation with a concern about the public health, occupational health and safety, or environmental effects of an industrial chemical may nominate a chemical for assessment.

 

Recommendations on the safe use of these chemicals are made in Priority Existing Chemicals (PECs) assessment reports.

 

NICNAS also undertakes other assessments on existing chemicals to  fulfil specific data needs or if new data becomes available on a chemical that has already been assessed by NICNAS.

 

NICNAS has a series of Information sheets on each PEC for use in the workplace.

More information

• Candidate List of Chemicals - January 2008 (PDF 80 Kb)

• Review of the existing chemicals program;

• The PEC assessment report;

• The six-step review process for PECs;

• Chemicals recently declared as PECS/assessments in progress;

• Non-PEC Assessments in Progress
• Other (non-PEC) Chemical Assessment Reports;
• Nominated chemicals not selected as PECs;
• Australia's contribution to International Assessment - this will take you to the 'International' section of our websi
• Priority Existing Chemicals (PECs) assessment reports;
• Information sheets.