There are more than 150 million registered chemical substances worldwide. In addition, it is believed that about 100,000 chemical substances are used in factories, etc., and the chemical products made from these substances and their production processes are diversifying. Occupational accidents caused by chemical substances can have a wide range of consequences, including explosions, fires, asphyxiation, acute poisoning, allergies, carcinogenesis, and dermatitis, and countermeasures are different for each substance and production process. Appropriate chemical management needs to be implemented in response to the hazards of substances and the magnitude of the risk of disasters caused by them. However, in the current situation, it cannot be said that sufficient controls are used for chemicals, as they are often used without confirming their hazards or laws and management systems have not been sufficiently developed.

The Research Center for Chemical Information and Management was established to further enhance and strengthen the management of chemical substances in the workplace.

Role of the Research Center for Chemical Information and Management

• The Center collects, organizes, and analyzes relevant information in order to prevent disasters caused by chemical substances in the workplace.
• As a central organization in the development of management methods for chemical substances, the Center actively collaborates and conducts joint research with other organizations.
• The Center provides information obtained as a result of surveys and research to the government, various organizations, and companies as necessary.
• The Center promotes the information necessary for the management of chemical substances in the workplace in a form that is easy to understand and accessible to everyone.
• The Center provides international harmonization of standards for the assessment of the toxicity of chemical substances, etc.
• The Center provides information and technical assistance to countries around the world and to the international community.

The Center is composed of three divisions: (1) the Division of Chemical Information, which collects, organizes, and disseminates information necessary for chemical substance management; (2) the Division of Exposure Science, which evaluates workplace exposures and investigates disasters; and (3) the Division of Industrial Toxicology and Biological Monitoring, which evaluates the hazards of chemical substances through experiments and other means.

Role of each research division

Division of Chemical Information

Providing and disseminating information on chemical substance management; analysis of disaster data; consideration of consistency between current laws and regulations, domestic hazard knowledge, and international standards.

Division of Exposure Science

Assessment of exposure to chemical substances (including estimation of high-concentration exposure groups, environmental measurements, and consideration of exposure measurements); development and proposal of methods and measures to control and reduce the amount of exposure; conduct of chemical disaster investigations.

Division of Industrial Toxicology and Biological Monitoring

Evaluation of the hazards of chemical substances by utilizing data collected from non-animal tests, health checkups, and performance of animal experiments; investigation of hazardousness and toxicity mechanisms (including development and proposal of indicators for early detection of diseases); development, evaluation, and proposal of test methods and judgment criteria for toxicity.

Members

Official position	Name	Field of study
Director	Hiroshi Jonai	Occupational health, Ergonomics, Chemical management
Acting director	Akiyoshi Ito	Occupational hygiene, Occupational safety and health management
	Youko Yabuki
Kiyose District
	Haruhiko Itagaki	Industrial accident prevention, Safety engineering, Case of labor accident, Explosion, Fire disaster