AICS

The Australian Inventory of Chemical Substances (AICS) <http://www.nicnas.gov.au/Industry/AICS.asp> is a listing of all industrial chemicals in use in Australia between 1 January 1977 and 28 February 1990. It also includes new assessed chemicals and corrections as required.

The new AICS CD ROM is now available. Inventory data on the CD is up-to-date as at the end of May 2003. See the NICNAS website <http://www.nicnas.gov.au> for details on pricing and how to order.

FAISD

The Handbook of First Aid Instructions, Safety Directions and Warning Statements for Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (FAISD) has recently been updated. The handbook is updated four times a year.

The FAISD is a consolidation of the first aid instructions, warning statements and general safety precautions applicable to agricultural and veterinary chemicals and products. It also includes safety directions for those products referred by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to the TGA and the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission for assessment.

Low regulatory concern chemicals

The public consultation period on the Low Regulatory Concern Chemicals - Public Discussion Paper has closed but the paper is still available on the NICNAS website. The paper gave industry, government and the community an opportunity to provide comment to the LRCC Task Force on the reform initiative to introduce new approaches to assessment of certain chemicals within the existing NICNAS framework.

Check the News section of the NICNAS website <http://www.nicnas.gov.au> in July for details on the final report and recommendations.

NICNAS alerts

NICNAS Alert No. 2: Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), (30 April 2003) updates NICNAS Alert No. 1 and is available on the NICNAS website <http://www.nicnas.gov.au>.

NICNAS is calling for information about the importation, manufacture, use and health effects of the PFOS alternatives perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorinated telomer chemicals and products in Australia.

Science forum

As part of the reform of chemicals regulation in Australia, a Science Forum has been established to identify best practice approaches to health risk assessment of chemicals. The inaugural Science Forum took place on 30 May 2003 at the Shine Dome, Canberra.

The Science Forum is chaired by Dr Margaret Hartley, Director of the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) and Office of Chemical Safety (OCS) within the TGA group of regulators.

The objective of the Science Forum is to enhance the efficiency of chemicals regulation in Australia through comparison of current regulatory practices among participating agencies, consideration of international trends and harmonisation of best practice risk assessment and risk management methodology.

The 30 May 2003 Science Forum specifically considered the Mouse Local Lymph Node Assay and its acceptability as a stand-alone toxicology test for skin sensitisation.

Professor Richard Smallwood AO, Chief Medical Officer, Australian Department of Health and Ageing, opened the Forum which was attended by about 100 participants.

Agencies represented included Health portfolio regulatory agencies:

• OCS, including NICNAS
• TGA
• Office of the Gene Technology Regulator
• Food Standards Australia and New Zealand

Other Commonwealth agencies represented included:

• Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
• Environment Australia
• National Occupational Health and Safety Commission

Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) New Zealand also attended.

Updates on the Science Forum's deliberations will be made available on the NICNAS website <http://www.nicnas.gov.au>.

(Left) Professor Richard Smallwood AO, Chief Medical Officer, Australian Department of Health and Ageing, and (right) Dr Margaret Hartley, Director NICNAS and OCS, TGA Group of Regulators

left to right: Jenny Eneberg (OCS Canberra), Dr Margaret Hartley (Director NICNAS and OCS), Dr Wafa El-Adhami (Deputy Director OCS Canberra), Dr Andrew Bartholomaeus (OCS Canberra - presenter),Mr Paul Harvey (NICNAS - presenter), Dr Roshini Jayewardene (Leader, Science and Strategy, NICNAS)