ABSTRACT
Progress in a global economy is now primarily based on improved technology and its distribution to extensive human activities. The global market and production, with its easy movement and transportation, a less expensive workforce, and less stringent regulations, have been found to be closely interrelated activities. With these kinds of situations, human exposure to hazardous chemical substances becomes more evident. Uncontrolled, irrational transboundary movement of hazardous chemical substances and waste disposal have caused health hazards in communities. Occupational and environmental exposure to many chemical substances, industrial solvents, metals, plastics, and asbestos, such as in mining; shipwrecks, and production and use of pesticides in agriculture and horticulture, and many others, is known to have effects on health. To contain any kind of untoward incident at the workplace or in the community, proper management of hazardous chemical substances is a must. To achieve this, workers, managers, regulatory agencies and the public at large require ready information about the good and bad aspects of chemical substances so that they have proper knowledge.
