Objective In December 2001, an expert consultation convened by WHO identified strengthening national and global chemical
incident preparedness and response as a priority. WHO is working towards this objective by developing a surveillance and response
system for chemical incidents. This report describes the frequency, nature and geographical location of acute chemical incidents of
potential international concern from August 2002 to December 2003.
Methods Acute chemical incidents were actively identified through several informal (e.g. Internet-based resources) and formal (e.g.
various networks of organizations) sources and assessed against criteria for public health emergencies of international concern
using the then proposed revised International Health Regulations (IHR). WHO regional and country offices were contacted to obtain
additional information regarding identified incidents.
Findings Altogether, 35 chemical incidents from 26 countries met one or more of the IHR criteria. The WHO European Region
accounted for 43% (15/35) of reports. The WHO Regions for Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific each accounted for
14% (5/35); South-East Asia and the Americas accounted for 9% (3/35) and 6% (2/35), respectively. Twenty-three (66%) events
were identified within 24 hours of their occurrence.
Conclusions To our knowledge this is the first global surveillance system for chemical incidents of potential international concern.
Limitations such as geographical and language bias associated with the current system are being addressed. Nevertheless, the
system has shown that it can provide early detection of important events, as well as information on the magnitude and geographical
distribution of such incidents. It can therefore contribute to improving global public health preparedness.
Keywords Chemical industry; Chemicals; Accidents; Safety management (source: MeSH, NLM).
Mots clés Industrie chimique; Produits chimiques; Accidents; Gestion sécurité (source: MeSH, INSERM).
Palabras clave Industria química; Productos químicos; Accidentes; Administración de la seguridad (fuente: DeCS, BIREME).
Objective In December 2001, an expert consultation convened by WHO identified strengthening national and global chemical
incident preparedness and response as a priority. WHO is working towards this objective by developing a surveillance and response
system for chemical incidents. This report describes the frequency, nature and geographical location of acute chemical incidents of
potential international concern from August 2002 to December 2003.
Methods Acute chemical incidents were actively identified through several informal (e.g. Internet-based resources) and formal (e.g.
various networks of organizations) sources and assessed against criteria for public health emergencies of international concern
using the then proposed revised International Health Regulations (IHR). WHO regional and country offices were contacted to obtain
additional information regarding identified incidents.
Findings Altogether, 35 chemical incidents from 26 countries met one or more of the IHR criteria. The WHO European Region
accounted for 43% (15/35) of reports. The WHO Regions for Africa, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific each accounted for
14% (5/35); South-East Asia and the Americas accounted for 9% (3/35) and 6% (2/35), respectively. Twenty-three (66%) events
were identified within 24 hours of their occurrence.
Conclusions To our knowledge this is the first global surveillance system for chemical incidents of potential international concern.
Limitations such as geographical and language bias associated with the current system are being addressed. Nevertheless, the
system has shown that it can provide early detection of important events, as well as information on the magnitude and geographical
distribution of such incidents. It can therefore contribute to improving global public health preparedness.
Keywords Chemical industry; Chemicals; Accidents; Safety management (source: MeSH, NLM).
Mots clés Industrie chimique; Produits chimiques; Accidents; Gestion sécurité (source: MeSH, INSERM).
Palabras clave Industria química; Productos químicos; Accidentes; Administración de la seguridad (fuente: DeCS, BIREME).
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