ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 454 History of WHO Activities Related to Chemical Safety ........................................ 455 Role of WHO Following the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment .............................................................................................. 456 Establishment of the IPCS ..................................................................................... 458 Preparations for Rio and UNCEDS Impact on the Work of WHO ........................460 Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management................................ 461 Thematic Areas of WHO’s Work in Chemical Safety ............................................ 462
Chemicals Assessment ......................................................................................463 Chemicals in Food .............................................................................................465 Methods for Chemicals Assessment..................................................................466 Poisoning Prevention and Management ............................................................ 467 Chemical Incidents and Emergencies ...............................................................469 Children’s Environmental Health ...................................................................... 471 Capacity Building.............................................................................................. 472
Chemicals Assessment ................................................................................. 472 Implementation of the Globally Harmonized System for the Classižcation and Labelling of Chemicals ....................................... 473 Women’s Health and Pesticides Safety ........................................................ 473
Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 474 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 475 References .............................................................................................................. 475
The World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution was signed on July 22, 1946 and came into force on April 7, 1948, with the status of a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). Its mandate is broad and recognizes that “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition,” dežning health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or inžrmity” (International Health Conference, 1946). It fulžlls its objectives through its core functions which are re§ected in its General Programme of Work*: providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed; shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation, and dissemination of valuable knowledge; setting norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation; articulating ethical and evidence-based policy options; providing technical support, catalyzing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity; and monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.
