Modular Information System on Chemicals - From Concept to Reality

Abstract

The Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Germany is one Competent Authority of the European Member States nearby other involved with the assessment and authorisation of chemicals. For more then 15 years the Agency has been experiences for design and implementation of complex data bases as well as the management of environmental monitoring and chemical data. Comprehensive and reliable information on the environmental properties of chemical substances and preparations is of immense importance for all areas of environmental protection and for averting danger.UBA plays an important role in the enforcement of national and European environmental laws and regulations, for example in the field of industrial chemicals, plant protection products, medical and biocide products. If a risk to human health or the environment exists, UBA recommends conditions of use, propose restrictions or bans. For the scientific review and thus authorisation or restricition of this chemical substances or products an informations system based on a valide and accurat database is needed.This operational Information System Chemical Safety (ICS), developed and put on place for more then 15 years as a monolith with proprietary software, has been re-designed in a new modular information system. The paper ‘illuminates’ the technical solutions with the challenges and chances which has to be taken and offered, resulting in a highly flexible modular system to administer all important data and information on chemicals by using different software components/moduls connected with each other.