Human Health

There have been tremendous improvements in quality of life over the last century. This is partly due to the products and processes of the chemical industry.

To ensure this positive trend is sustained will require a continued commitment by all of society to assess and minimise the negative impact of our actions today on future generations. The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and its industry members are committed to this effort and dedicated to better understanding potential adverse effects chemicals may have on human health.

In addition, the European Union's new Environmental Health Strategy places health concerns at the core of future European environmental regulation, and LRI's research brings in valuable data into these discussions, helping make decisions which reflect the scientific fact. This further supports the industry's commitment to work with governing bodies and other stakeholders in protecting human health.

To fulfil this goal, the LRI programme is funding a range of research projects which focus on assessing human health effects of chemicals both in workplace exposure and every-day life situations. Better understanding the causes of allergic reactions to chemicals, establishing databases of time/activity-related exposure, and creating better assessment tools for measuring risk are examples of the areas to which LRI research is currently contributing.