Documents\Palladium-contents. Pdf

EHC 226: Palladium
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The EHC monographs are intended to assist national and international
authorities  in  making  risk  assessments  and  subsequent  risk  management
decisions. They  represent a thorough evaluation of risks and are not, in any
sense, recommendations for regulation or standard setting. These latter are the
exclusive purview of national and regional governments.
Content
The layout of EHC monographs for chemicals is outlined below. 
•
Summary — a review of the salient facts and the risk evaluation of the
chemical
•
Identity — physical and chemical properties, analytical methods
•
Sources of exposure
•
Environmental transport, distribution and transformation
•
Environmental levels and human exposure
•
Kinetics and metabolism in laboratory animals and humans
•
Effects on laboratory mammals and in vitro test systems
•
Effects on humans
•
Effects on other organisms in the laboratory and field
•
Evaluation of human health risks and effects on the environment
•
Conclusions and recommendations for protection of human health and
the environment
•
Further research
•
Previous evaluations by international bodies, e.g., IARC, JECFA, JMPR
Selection of chemicals
Since the inception of the EHC Programme, the IPCS has organized
meetings of scientists to establish lists of priority chemicals for subsequent
evaluation. Such meetings have been held in Ispra, Italy, 1980; Oxford, United
Kingdom, 1984; Berlin, Germany, 1987; and North Carolina, USA, 1995. The
selection of chemicals has been based on the following criteria: the existence
of scientific evidence that the substance presents a hazard to human health
and/or the environment; the possible use, persistence, accumulation or degrada-
tion  of  the  substance  shows  that  there  may  be significant human or
environmental exposure; the size and nature of populations at risk (both 

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human and other species) and risks for the environment; international concern,
i.e., the substance is of major interest to several countries; adequate data on the
hazards are available.
If an EHC monograph is proposed for a chemical not on the priority list,
the IPCS Secretariat consults with the cooperating organizations and all the
Participating  Institutions before embarking on the preparation of the
monograph.
Procedures
The  order  of procedures that result in the publication of an EHC
monograph is shown in the flow chart on the next  page. A designated staff
member of IPCS, responsible for the scientific quality of the document, serves
as Responsible Officer (RO). The IPCS Editor is responsible for layout and
language. The first draft, prepared by consultants or, more usually, staff from
an IPCS Participating Institution, is based initially on data provided from the
International  Register  of  Potentially Toxic Chemicals and from reference
databases such as Medline and Toxline.
The draft document, when received by the RO, may require an initial
review by a small panel of experts to determine its scientific quality and
objectivity. Once the RO finds the document acceptable as a first draft, it is
distributed, in its unedited form, to well over 150 EHC contact points
throughout the world who are asked to comment on its completeness and
accuracy  and,  where  necessary, provide additional material. The contact
points, usually designated by governments, may be Participating Institutions,
IPCS Focal Points or individual scientists known for their particular expertise.
Generally, some four months are allowed before the comments are considered
by the RO and author(s). A second draft incorporating comments received and
approved by the Director, IPCS, is then distributed to Task Group members,
who carry out the peer review, at least six weeks before their meeting.
The  Task  Group  members  serve as individual scientists, not as
representatives of any organization, government or industry. Their function
is to evaluate the accuracy, significance and relevance of the information in the
document and to assess the health and environmental risks from exposure to
 

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C o m m i t m e n t   t o   d r a f t   E H C
C o m m i t m e n t   t o   d r a f t   E H C
Document preparation initiated
Draft sent to IPCS Responsible Officer (RO)
EHC PREPARATION FLOW CHART
R e v i s i o n   a s
necessary
Possible meeting 
of a few experts 
to resolve 
controversial issues
F i r s t   D r a f t
F i r s t   D r a f t
Responsible Officer, Editor check for coherence of text and 
readability (not language editing)
Responsible Officer, Editor check for coherence of text and 
readability (not language editing)
International circulation to Contact Points (150+)
C o m m e n t s   t o   I P C S   ( R O )
Review of comments, reference cross-check;
preparation of Task Group (TG) draft
Task Group meeting
I n s e r t i o n   o f   T G   c h a n g e s
Post-TG draft; detailed reference cross-check
Editing
Editing
Word-processing
Camera-ready copy
Final editing
Approval by Director, IPCS
WHO Publication Office
Printer
Proofs
Publication
Publication
Graphics
Library for
CIP Data
French/Spanish 
translations of Summary
Working group,
if required
Editor
routine procedure
optional procedure

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